The Dark Cold Waters of Urðr (Destiny)
by triquetratraveler
Summary: Living a peaceful life with his beloved Elsa, Jack Frost confronts the demons of his pasts as soon as his fellow Ice warriors wanted their self-exiled Winter King to return back to their home realm to prevent their old enemies in exterminating the people of Niflheim while the real dreaded Ragnarok was started by their new unknown enemy.(AU) – Romance/Epic/Fantasy (Norse Mythology)
1. Chapter 1

**The Dark Cold Waters of ****Urðr**** (Destiny)**

Chapter 1 – The Fragments of the Frozen Past -

The midnight sun climbed up lazily in the dawning horizon, signaling the glorious morning of an approaching season that has newly arrived, the platinum blonde cuddled closer to the one who was sleeping calmly beside her in their cozy ice-crystal bed with long flowing and glittering snowy white sheets. Elsa never like to wake up nor would she rise up out from their bed. All she ever wanted was to stay always in their dream-like life, recalling those blissful moments of last night, and the other nights after their seemingly never-ending honeymoon, and then, secretly blushing and desiring of those unforgettable times again. Feeling her husband's arms tightened briefly around her before he slowly had let go of her, Elsa remained pretending to be asleep with her closed eyes while Jack forced himself to turn around and face up towards their transparent ceiling, which reveals the vastness of the open clear blue skies. He tried to wake himself up since it was his eternal duty as the bringer of the upcoming season of winter.

Although he had lived a very long peaceful life, living happily with his very gorgeous wife in their own wintery wonderful home in their own entirely self-made realm, Jack felt so damn lazy that he could not even lift himself up to move an inch as if he was frozen in their bed. Until he realize he was really literally stuck frozen on bed, and was utterly surprised when his wife ended up waking up before him, giving him a look of slight mischief - a payback for yesterday's crazy childish prank he started out with her.

Her lips curved in a sly but coy grin as her alluring expressive bluish eyes glinted playfully with a mocking vengeance.

"Oh, nooo!"Jack whispered jokingly, pretending to act scared out of his wits. "Is this about the "Dutch Oven" tactic which I've done to you by trapping you under the bed covers and…"

"…And suffocating me with your blasts of foul smelling hot airs!" Elsa forced herself to stop from giggling, grabbed instantly her pillow and smacked it hard at his amused and laughing face.

"Oh, come on, Elsa! Don't forget our first night together, you are so nervous, so was I. We were both shaking, not knowing what to do, until you've done the unthinkable and had break wind, I mean, break the ice between us. And I've continue to make things funny and comfortable to ease everything which meant that we need a lot of practice about that routine when we both ended up …."

"Don't ever say it a word about it!" His wife seemed to squirm with absolute embarrassment with his double meaning words, pounded Jack repeatedly with her pillow to stop him from spilling out more.

Again, Jack laughed wholeheartedly before he breaks away from her ice on their bed and embraced her playfully and lovingly.

He never ever made fun of her. If ever she made those unexpected accidental things, he had never humiliated her and will never ever do so. He will spread out his contagious light-hearted jokes and fun-loving antics, making her outrageously laugh and peel herself from her icy cold melancholic serious self and filling her with love and joy instead.

She halted hitting him with her pillow, snuggled closer to him and allowed herself to briefly close her eyes, absorbing intensely their moment together. Sensing, his hand brushed a straying strands of her platinum blonde hair away from her face with such gentleness that made Elsa feel more accepted and loved.

"If only eternity will always be like this for us," Elsa's out of the blue words whispered loudly and lovingly that snapped out Jack. Troubled, Jack slowly and slightly moved away to take a long look at her as if his wife mindlessly spoke those words before she seemed to return back to her own present self again. Clueless at what she just said that made the god of winter in a bit of distress. "So, what are you planning today? Bringing frost and snow in what side of the world? Or is it in other realms instead as you once told me about in your fascinating stories?"

"Let's delay winter for a while." He gave secretly an observing look at her, but hid his worry immediately as not to make her concern about him. "How about we spend a couple of days for a while. Just you and me, Elsa. And I'll guarantee - you and I will have an epic fun time together!" Jack's face lit up with excitement before he gave her a quick but lively kiss on the lips. Elsa kissed him back and smiled at him, magically stretched out her arms around them to dress themselves with their familiar blue outdoor clothes. Afterwards, Jack pulled her close towards him, lifted both of them, flying off out from their room, passing through the balcony, and high above the blue clear morning skies.

* * *

"Finally, good old steady cold ground!" Jack landed with Elsa on the highest mountain surrounded by rolling white clouds above and beneath them like moving waves of the sea in their vast wintry realm. Elsa raised briefly her right hand, letting the sea of fluffy clouds high above to release beautifully glittering snowflakes. The white haired bringer of winter smiled widely at his wife and moved towards a nearby lake. Instantly, he held out his hands, summoning his reliable staff and stepping on the icy surface of the lake, forming multitudes of frosts that spread rapidly. Turning to face Elsa, he bowed down before her while letting his staff disappear and then holding out his right hand towards her as he was asking for a dance with her.

Accepting his request, she started to step on the frosted thick ice as the sole of her ice crystal shoes formed into ice skates. Drawing near him, Elsa began to dance and glide gracefully around Jack who did not depart his blue eyes at her. He intensely watched her who leaped and twirled around as if she could fly above the icy surface. He only began dancing with her when Elsa drew closer to him, holding his right hand and placing his left hand to wrap around her.

For Elsa, it was like she was flying above the ground with him, even though she cannot fly like him. And when they finished dancing passionately their pure emotions for each other, their so-called dance of love, Elsa stood closer towards him, and viewed breathlessly at their wintry wonderland home had become more stunningly beautiful than it was before.

Filled with absolute love that very moment, the platinum blonde beauty almost tilted up to steal a kiss from her husband who playfully moved away from her. "Too early for us to go back to bed, Elsa, but, I won't protest and complain. Why would I? Besides, I bring the season of winter for couples to cozy up and cuddle together in front of their fireplaces…" His brow lifted up as a lop-sided smirk of mischief flashed in his face, Jack teased her with a loud whisper, making Elsa blushed and viewed Jack's face flustered back into a deeper hue of red upon realizing what he just said.

At first, he intended his first words to playfully flirt with her, but then, his next set of words was supposed to be informative and trivial, showing him of being proud as a bringer of winter and yet, those same words came out accidentally, which might give another meaning to his wife.

He gave a rare bashful smile at her who smiled back. Clearly, she was delighted and amused at him and his words - unpolished tactlessness but straightforward honesty tainted with unexpected pure innocence.

Jack rubbed his neck and cleared his throat to push back his sudden startling words and reaction, tried to put a face that he got everything in control again, especially when having the fun he promised her with. Thinking his next antic will get his wife's approval and praise, Jack created swiftly an icy snowboard and jumped on top of it. Impulsively, he goes as fast as he could towards the edge of the highest mountain where they were.

Surely, she will be greatly impressed. Who would not with all the series of awe-stricken and death-defying feats he have done with those several big tumbles and turns, then changing into more amazing and thrilling stunts by doing his favorite sport way back when he was still a young immortal.

Jack continued to do free style wind snowboarding in mid-air using his staff as a replacement of his snowboard before he returned back to his icy snowboard again. Smiling in a silly way, he reminisced his past childhood, only to lose focus when a particular long buried memory hit Jack like a flash of lightning, causing him to miss his balance and footing. He ended up rolling further downward until he smashed against the large heaps of snow.

Even though his abrupt fall was awkwardly and outrageously hilarious with his smacked down outline of his figure against the very huge snow pile like a fly smashed flat against a front window, Elsa stood motionless petrified, not a muffle of laughter was uttered from her lips, but an immediate quiver of terrified silence, seeping into the recesses of her mind and heart.

* * *

"Jack!"

Hearing her frightened and panicked voice, Jack quickly popped out his head from the heaps of snow where he collided and fell down.

"Jack!" Hurriedly, Elsa dug Jack out and away from the snowy ground while Jack was covering his bruised pride, but pushed it all away when hearing her distressed voice.

"I'm okay! It's just my ego hurt and my chances to have a great steamy passionate night with you…" Laughing it out as if it was a big joke, Jack ceased flirting with her as he tried to calm his wife, stunned to only see Elsa's indistinguishable terrified look.

"I…I…really thought I've lost you…" her voice cracked with swelling emotions of an unknown traumatic memory.

"Elsa…" Seeing tears spilling out of her troubled eyed, Jack whispered her name, pulled himself away from the snow heap and embraced the platinum blonde who clearly was shaken up. "Hey, it's alright, I'm always here with you, Elsa." He comforted her, regretted that he had done such a stupid impulsive thing. "I'm sorry…please, don't…don't cry…" He slightly moved away to wipe away her tears while the platinum blonde halted crying, gently held his hands on her face. "Remember, I am always with you, Elsa."

The serene moment between them was totally destroyed by the loud poundings from below the ground, at the same time, she felt him who was earlier standing beside her, moving swiftly away.

"You better stay here, Elsa!"

"You are not alone anymore, Jack, I am here with you. If you go and fight, then I will go and fight too!" Elsa replied him who summoned and held out his wooden crook staff and dashed defensively in front of her. Jack confronted courageously against the trespasser who pounded and destroyed powerfully the snowy and cold ground of his isolated and hidden abode.

* * *

"Where is she?!" Bunny jumped furiously out of the hole that he made, and shouted out at the other immortal who stood calmly at arm's length, realized the Pooka turned unreasonable, had taken his chocolates to power himself up. "Do yah have no idea, it have taken me a very long time to find this damn frozen dimensional domain of yours?! Worst, I had a bloody difficult time entering here!"

"Before you kill me, you have to know, I've take her away to save her. Besides, you have no right over her."

The furious Pooka halted, stared long at Jack. "Where's the idiot brat?!"

"Brat?!" The white haired and blue eyed immortal stared at Bunny who roamed around the breathtaking beautiful winter paradise.

"Don't yah hide the frosted dingbat?!"

The young man in his twenties stood composed before Bunny, gave a familiar mischievous smirk that shocked Bunny who widened his eyes in disbelief, turned around when a young woman's happy voice called out his name and embraced him. "S-Sweets?"

Elsa looked worried at Bunny's saddened voice. "It's me! And I am alright, just like you once assured me - everything will be alright." Elsa eyed him as the Pooka moved away from the platinum blonde.

"I should have saved you instead of abiding by the Universal Laws…for that I have lost you." Bunny's voice quivered with melancholy. "My mistake, please accept my apologies…" The time wielder did not faced Elsa anymore, jumped instantly down on the hole which he made while she stood stunned beside Jack.

_What just have happened?!_

Elsa continued staring blankly at the hole, had never seen Bunny so devastatingly sad. She looked away from the hole when Jack started to cover the hole with his ice and frosts. This time he made sure that the ice he summoned to cover the hole will be impenetrable.

"What does he mean?"

"He means he doesn't have the business to trespass and interrupt us ever again."

"But he is my…."

"Not anymore." Lifting his piercing blue eyes at Elsa, Jack replied her. "He has no duty to protect you since his obligations had ended. It is I who's bound to protect you now and forever, Elsa." He ceased explaining further when his consort thawed the ice which he created earlier. He blocked her speedily towards the hole. "What are you doing?! You just cannot leave our domain as you like?! It's dangerous for you to be out there. And if you find Bunny, he can't accept you back at your old home with him since you're now mine as I am yours."

Elsa did not allowed Jack to finish. "He is more a father to me, rather than a protector guardian, Jack, please understand. If it were not for Bunny, if he never taken me as his own child, do you think, I am here with you?"

_She had a point, she always had a point!_

Jack faced away from Elsa, does not like the idea and her obvious would-be request. He halted contemplating when he felt her hand caressed gently his face.

"Please, let me visit Bunny. It's been a long time, Jack."

With a silent sigh, Jack finally allowed Elsa to go to Bunny as long as he is with her in her journey.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Jack asked Elsa who positioned herself beside him who held his frosted wooden staff.

"As long as you are always beside me." Replying him, Elsa smiled at him while the bringer of winter smiled back at her before they kissed briefly.

As soon as the winds carried them off miles away from their hidden and isolated snow- capped abode, Jack held Elsa tightly as he accelerated speed to leave their isolated dimensional domain.

Suddenly, he felt imminent danger, blocked an ambush attack by countering it with his powerful ice blasts. Elsa realized they were being hunted by several opponents, advised Jack.

"We cannot stay together, we are easy targets above."

"W-What?! That is what they wanted - divide us!"

"And that is how we will let them think, that they had the upper hand!" Elsa pushed herself away from Jack who disapproved of her plan. He dived down to get hold of her again since Elsa has no power of flight. Elsa free falling, outstretched her arms and glided magically with her snow-formed cape behind her, avoided to be swooped up by Jack, hoped gravity will put her feet firmly on the soft snowy ground. The moment her feet touched on the snow carpeted earth, she summoned ice powerfully from the ground that shot up and towered into defensive walls which releases out deadly icicles.

"Not bad for the cold killer's bitch!" An enemy immortal attacked Elsa who materialized and threw her snowflakes like spinning shurikens, pinning the enemy before motioning her arms to create a snow avalanche to bury the enemy while Jack finished instantly the rest of the attackers before the last surviving enemy touched the ground. He focused his frost powers, creating his icy bladed weapon in his hand when he slashed down the last opponent who fall and scattered into frozen pieces.

After slaying viciously his enemy, he drew near Elsa and narrowed his blue eyes at her. "Please don't you ever do that again - separating from me! Do you think your plan had the advantage? You don't even know the capabilities of these attackers who ambushed us. Did any of them got killed by your offensive attacks? Just a few of them caught off guard, but the rest are ready to take you down." Jack frowned. "They're ruthless chaos gods just like I once was, Elsa, and you take them lightly as if they're mindless fear-lusting fearlings or dream-greedy dream pirates?! It's a good deal I've finished them before they've even landed on the ground to get rid of you."

The platinum blonde lowered her blue eyes. "I'm sorry. The only reason I decided to distant myself is for them to let them focus at me, so that you could be out of harm's way."

Elsa did not continue speaking, eyed at worried Jack who brushed his hand against his windswept hair down to his neck before he gave a deep sigh, controlling his emotions, particularly the anxiety he had earlier when the enemies were distracted and aiming at Elsa.

"Nope, you just gave them the reason to target you so that they could easily get to me!" He clutched his hands into fists for a few seconds of silence, while taking control of his stormy emotions. He felt his heart beating out with dreadful fear, gave a very deep breath before giving a look of apology to her. Jack softened the tone of his voice. "I'm sorry too. Please forgive me." He continued with his controlled emotional voice. "Just promise me, Elsa, that you always stay close to me." Approaching her, Jack embraced her in a lingering manner. "…because if ever I lose you, I will never forgive myself…" He stammered with a twinge of raw but honest emotions. "… it will be the very end for me."

She nodded, then embraced him back before she whispered at him a question. "You said they were chaos gods, killers like you, then, why do they wanted to kill you?

"Simple, sweets, they wanted to kill him because he stopped being like them, the moment he ended up with you."

Elsa turned to face Bunny who moved away from the trees. Pulling away from her husband, she drew near Bunny. The Pooka welcomed Elsa with a warm embrace.

"Being out here is not safe at all, and from your long journey, you both looked zonked, how about staying in my warren for the night," the Pooka tapped his foot and a big hole opened up to slide them down straight to his abode.

* * *

After dinner, Elsa sat happily on her giant white rose bed on a particular tunnel-like room while Bunny seemed unable to leave the couple, remained standing near the door, still talking to them.

"I thought you just said that it's time to sleep, kangaroo?! Why aren't you leaving us?" Jack crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of Elsa's flowery vine- covered room while Bunny gave a slight narrowed look at Jack.

"Yeah, you'll be sleeping in the other room, lover boy."

"W-What?!" Jack complained, and knowing how ridiculous it is since Elsa is married to him.

"My warren, my rules!"

"It's alright, he could sleep in my room," Elsa spoke, trying to calm the two before her.

"Fine, in your room, but not in your bed!" His eyes shifted from Elsa to Jack. "I sense and know what your insatiable urges towards Elsa, Frost, and it's not allowed here."

"What do you think she is?!" Jack could not take it, voiced out. "She's my wife! What do you expect us to do- look at each other and not touch?!"

"Yeah! I should have hide Elsa out of your sight, and out of your touch!"

"Whoa, this is not right anymore, Cottontail, just because you're a bunny who brings springtime, you're more knowledgeable about the birds and the bees, and your rabbit kind are known to breed faster..."

"You better belt up, you frosted buffoon!"

They fell muted when Elsa rose up from her old bed, left her room without a word, giving them both the cold silent treatment.

"Cool off! Just let me be with her!" Following her, Jack was blocked by the Pooka who snarled as he acted as Elsa's overprotective father again.

"Not on your nelly! Back to that room now, you drongo!"

Jack frowned, forcing himself to play by the Pooka's rules for now, rolled his blue eyes around to find a way inside the room where Elsa is, focused cunningly his eyes at the ventilation shaft before he returned back to Elsa's old room, pretending to stay and sleep there.

"Sweets, sorry for acting…"

"…like a meanie…"

"Yeah, more than a meanie…" Bunny smiled and chuckled at the other side of the locked door, where Elsa was leaning against the door in the other room. "Really missed you, sweets, and I'm very happy yah came to visit me. Goodnight 'n sweet dreams. Will see you tomorrow mornin'."

* * *

"G'day, sweets!" Knocking, Bunny eyed Elsa who opened her door, greeting and smiling at the Pooka whose eyes widened when viewing Jack followed behind Elsa exiting from the same room.

"Well, good mornin' to you too, Peter Cottontail!" Smiling widely, Jack hurried out, following Elsa who headed near the vine-covered stairs and down towards the dining area. "Don't worry, I've been a good boy last night since Elsa requested me, my dear father-in-law."

"Do you expect me to accept your bullshit?!"

"What is this again?! Such a new beautiful day, and you're having anger management issues or is this more about your midlife crisis?!"

"You think everything's a joke?! Tell me why I won't pulverized yah, Frost?!

"I'm expecting you'll be sayin' that, since you never believe any of my explanations even if I'm Elsa's better half now." Lifting his blue eyes, Jack narrowed his eyes at fuming Bunny. "You still sensed I'll leave her. Then, you are wrong about it."

"Leave her?! You'll do worst." Controlling himself, the Pooka snorted and left Jack.

"Hey! Do you think I'll hurt her?!"

"No." Bunny stopped in his steps when he almost climbed down the stairs upon hearing Jack spoke emotionally. "You loved her so much." After saying such, Jack was stunned at the Pooka's disheartened look reflecting from his eyes before Bunny looked away and proceeded down the stairs.

* * *

Motionless, Jack reflected Bunny's words spoken to him earlier before he floated down the stairs, ceased when seeing Elsa moved towards the opened egg-shaped door where Bunny stood allowing North and Tooth to enter his mound-like abode.

"What happened?" Asking intensely, Bunny assisted Tooth who seemed shivering petrified while holding carefully a small bundle of covers as North lifted the layers of cloth revealing Baby Tooth frozen lifelessly.

"You were right all along, it had started, Bunny!" North's loud voice ceased when viewing Elsa and Jack inside Bunny's abode.

North held out frozen Baby Tooth to Bunny. "You alone are the life-giver." Informing him, he stared at the Pooka. "You can bring her back, but the ice used magically over her, is no ordinary ice, it is of powerful magic." North's eyes glanced at Elsa in relief. "It is so fortunate you are here, Elsa, only you could thaw the ice, magical or not."

"I'll do whatever it takes to help and save Baby Tooth." Elsa held out her hands an inch before Baby Tooth but Jack stopped her before she almost thaw it.

"Wait. It's a message."

"What?!" Hearing Jack, Bunny asked the deity of winter. "What kind of message?"

"It's a sealed encrypted message." The white haired immortal focused deeply before holding Elsa's hand, intertwining his fingers with her fingers. "Elsa, please, I need your help with this one." His royal blue eyes shifted from Baby Tooth to Elsa who nodded and squeezed gently his hand before she closed her eyes to focus while Jack led their hands above Baby Tooth. Instantly, a light shot up when the ice melted slowly around Baby Tooth who breathed and moved as she was healed and recovered by Elsa's and Jack's combined powers. As a millimeter of ice melted completely away from Baby Tooth, the mini fairy revitalized, darted to fly around happily before she flew towards Tooth who held her close towards her in relief and gladness of being alive once again.

"Whoever had done this is a heartless violent brute?!" Voicing out, Tooth eyed at her companions who were glancing at Elsa who opened her eyes, her blue eyes momentarily glowing, lifted her free hand to revert back the ice with mysterious rune writings and deciphering it like a puzzle, spoke in an ancient foreign language while Jack translated and interpreted it, fully aware she was speaking in his own native tongue.

"That brute who you speak of is from my home realm." The bringer of winter replied the queen of the tooth fairies. "And the message he sent is a grave threat."

"What does he want?" Asking in his thick Russian accent, North eyed in concern as Jack's face reacted as he spoke bluntly with his voice lowered emotionlessly.

"Me."

* * *

Pulling his hand away from Elsa, Jack almost left Bunny's abode.

"Oi!" The Pooka chased him and shouted at him before the white haired and blue eyed immortal turned to face Bunny, giving a look to take care and watch over Elsa, sensing he had to act immediately before anyone else besides Baby Tooth will be harmed or killed.

"Would like to ask a favor, watch over Elsa…" Jack did not continued talking with Bunny when he felt his foot was frozen on the grassy floor, eyed his platinum blonde haired wife was frowning and drawing near him.

"Sorry, Jack, but you are not going anywhere."

"E-Elsa?!" Gasping her name and freeing himself, Jack glanced at her who eyed at North.

"I do not know what is really happening here? Could someone please tell me before we all act in our separate ways, then regretting it afterwards?!"

"Elsa is right." North agreed with her. "We had to be cautious. We must know what their true intentions are. We cannot just burst forth and yield to their demands without knowing the outcome for us and for everyone else."

"What are you suggesting?" Tooth asked him.

"If Jack had said this message came from his home realm, the more we have to be vigilant and to gather ourselves for our next course of actions." North eyed Jack. "Sorry, Jack. To be honest, we cannot lose you especially now that we, the Good, are lessening in number. Now, that we are not only fighting the other side, we are also weary of your own race, the infamous conquerors and destroyers, especially hearing an information that after the Great Civil War, the Race of Ice, had not gave their reply which side they've had chosen, are now an aimless and leaderless group with a de facto Elder Council acting as steward for the entire Empire of Niflheim." He paused for a moment. "Presently, our messenger had never gave what side he is at all." His eyes rolled towards the guardian of memories and her fairy in a very apologetic manner. "I am so sorry, Tooth, especially you, Baby Tooth. I suggested that we have to know more about Jack's secretive cold-hearted brethren of Ice, and you have taken the difficulty to be the one to supply us with such information."

Baby Tooth twittered and Tooth nodded, accepting the old man's apology while North lowered sadly his eyes.

"However, we retrieved one clue that the messenger had left behind." Pulling out a leather pouch, North took out a small mirror that made Elsa moved a step towards the table where North placed the familiar object before them.

"That mirror…I've seen that before, it's where my aunt, Ingrid, was imprisoned by one of the Norns before I came into your world."

"A magic mirror…" Bunny whispered back after hearing Elsa confessed a part of her remembered past. "And it's called the Trolden Mirror. It is now empty. Your aunt was freed by the messenger as Baby Tooth telepathically reported to us before she was taken down." The magic mirror glowed unexpectedly when it faced before Elsa in particular. "And somehow, it was connected to you." He glanced in great interest at Elsa.

"How? Why?" Surprised, Elsa whispered with her brows knitted but ceased when Jack held out his hand towards the mirror that flashed, then suddenly appearing before his hand floating. His platinum blonde haired wife widened her blue eyes at Jack who stared at her.

"Is this a coincidence?" The deity of winter whispered. "This is one of my realm's great treasures. Each of the Three Great Houses of Niflheim had a treasured heirloom." Jack's blue eyes gazed at Elsa in a lingering manner. "Which means some of your earlier ancestors were never originally mortals who lived in your world."

"I…I am…" Muttering, she stared back at Jack who locked his eyes at her. "…partly from your world too."

"That is for you to find out more of your true origins – where you truly belonged and came from. You have to know the past and the truth of that past. Without knowledge of the past, you have no future to look forward to and no clear direction for you to take." North replied them with wise words, eyed the couple, particularly at Elsa. "You have to go back to your own world, to your home, the Kingdom of Arendelle."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Stirring Snowstorms –

Landing on the snowy woods of the Northern Mountain, Jack subsided his cold winter winds, remained observing and glancing at Elsa whose blue eyes remained at the new changes of her kingdom.

"Arendelle…" Whispering, the platinum blonde did not lift her eyes away from her old home. Recalling Bunny's advice that eons had long passed since she lived with Jack in Eternity before the Pooka raised out his egg-shaped relic of time to open up a special portal of time and space for them to return back - more than twelve years after the fateful stormy event that almost destroyed Arendelle. Elsa stepped away from Jack who removed his arms around her. She contemplated North's words about her return in her world might help her know the truth about her real origins. "…where I might find the answers I have long been looking for…" Her soft words trailed away. Questioningly, she rolled her eyes back at her husband who remained walking beside her as they both headed towards Arendelle. "Jack, about the three great treasures of the Three Great Houses of Niflheim?"

"Owned by the Great Three Houses of Niflheim, each of the three great treasures contained infinite powers - the mirror of secrets, known as the Trolden Mirror, the weapon of power - the Royal Staff, and the gem of desire, the Wishing Star. Each Houses were descendants of three Powerful Nordic Gods of the First Age - Thor, the God of Thunder and War, Freyja, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, and Loki, the God of Cunning and Mischief." The bringer of winter stopped walking when Elsa halted and turned to face him.

"Are these heirlooms made as gifts?"

Replying back, Jack's blue eyes glanced interestingly back at her. "Yes, they were made by each of the great houses, and given as eternal gifts."

"Just like a treaty of alliances."

"Yes, kinda. Wow, Elsa, you're quick to understand these things." His lips formed a smile of admiration at her quick way of learning and analyzing. "But unlike a treaty, it's more of a covenant between the three Great Families to have a harmonious relationship amongst them. Each heirloom was created by a family, and then, it was exchanged as an eternal heirloom." The god of winter ceased for a moment before giving an example. "In my case, I belonged from the unity of two families who were descended from the God of Cunning and the -…" Giving her a look, Jack waited for her to have a reasonable guess.

"Goddess of Beauty…"

Jack burst out laughing upon hearing Elsa's answer.

"W-What?! Do you think I am joking?! You're beautiful, Jack."

"You are partly joking, Elsa, admit it?!"

"And what's the other half?"

"Flattery."

"At least, you aren't the only one who could make someone laugh."

"I guessed that you married and livin' with me in a very long time, had made me quite contagious with my humor rubbin' off on you, eh, sweetheart?! That's really great 'cause I'm rubbin' down more of myself against you tonight…" Whispering at her in a husky tone of voice, Jack leaned nearer to her.

"Now, that is a joke."

"Why is that a joke?"

"Do you think your flirty words are seductive enough to cover that silly uncontrollable wide grin of yours?" Deciding to be serious once again, his platinum blonde wife returned back to their original conversation. "Obviously, without question, you came from the lineage of the trickster god…"

"…and the war god…" He noticed Elsa's look at him. "What now? Still doubting, I'm still not serious, or worst, lyin' to you?!"

"I know when you lie to me, Jack. And currently, you are not lying to me. I know when somebody lies to me. I have been a queen of my own kingdom, and I am used to the smoky arena of façade called politics. Besides, I still recall one of your vows to me that you will never lie or hide anything from me the moment you taken me as your equal and wed me as your wife..." Elsa locked intensely her eyes at his. "It is just that I am fully aware of Norse Mythology, and the two Nordic gods whom you mentioned you belonged from, those two divine lines weren't in good terms at all."

"And that is the first part of my introduction to my dysfunctional family's conflicts…" Jack gave an ironic smile and look at Elsa. "I think it is time for me to meet yours." The white haired and blue eyed immortal held slowly her hand as Elsa glanced at him, allowed her fingers wrapped with his fingers.

Speaking up, Elsa's blue eyes beamed at Jack. "Come, Jack, I would like you to meet my sister, Anna, and the rest of my family."

* * *

As they reached the sprawling vast and improved Kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa marveled at the improvements her sister, Anna, had made while she and Jack strolled at the developed roads, particularly near the ports which was constructed as a present harmonious hub of commercial establishments and the melting pot of every various people of different ideas, trades, sciences, and arts. Stopping at the particular monument in the very center of the bustling peaceful kingdom of Arendelle, Elsa muted eyeing her own statue which was standing solemnly with a marble plank stating that the previous predecessor, Queen Elsa of Arendelle's inspirational visions and plans were implemented successfully by her sister and successor, Queen Anna of Arendelle.

"I never knew what I was capable of - that my visions and plans for my kingdom would end like this…" Whispering, Elsa's eyes shone in happiness. "Thanks to Anna, my sister." Falling into deep silence when Elsa viewed and read silently her name with particular dates, realizing that everyone believed that she had died more than twelve years ago by being missing after the most devastating storms came down to bring havoc upon the Kingdom of Arendelle.

Suddenly, hesitation crept inside Elsa's heart, unable to move forward towards the castle gates before them as her feelings and thoughts struggled with questions about Anna and how she will react upon seeing her again. All this time, she was impossibly alive and married to Jack, the god of winter, who shared his immortality with her who will live forever without aging further.

"Elsa…"

"Jack…"Hearing him whispered softly her name, Elsa lifted her eyes back at him, spoke sincerely. "I can't lie to Anna. But if I tell her the truth, she might think of so many things against me…" She halted, unable to finish her words when Jack pressed softly his forehead against her forehead.

"You can't hide the truth to the ones you love."

His words struck a chord in her heart and soul.

_He is right. I can't hide myself from Anna. If my sister truly had loved me before, then she will accept who I turned out to be._

Gathering courage, Elsa drew near with Jack before the palace gates, and gave a loud knock before she introduced herself as Queen Anna's long lost sister, Elsa of Arendelle.

* * *

Hurried steps clicking against the shiny marbled floors with intricately rosemaling designs, the queen's long rustling gown trailed in the hallway as she headed to the guest reception hall of the Grand Palace of Arendelle. As the guards viewed their strawberry blonde haired queen rushed towards the doors, they opened widely the doors of the hall where a platinum blonde haired younger woman stood up from the red satin cushioned chair. Gasping and crying in joy, Anna hurried towards Elsa, embracing her while Kristoff and the rest of their royal family were following and trailing behind.

Reunited with her long lost sister, her voice was filled with overwhelming emotions. "Elsa! I am so glad you are back! W-Where have you been?!" Anna pulled herself away from her elder sister, ceased herself from talking when realizing Elsa did not aged at all, but she doesn't care as long as Elsa is well and alive, and back to her. She then noticed her sister was not alone standing before her and her royal family.

"Anna, I would like you to meet my husband, Jack." Smiling, Elsa gestured at the tall and very handsome man with white hair and blue eyes. She was about to say Jack's last name when Kristoff drew near with wide brown eyes at Jack after noticing Jack's frosted long dark blue cloak, muttered in wonder which brought him to tears of overwhelming joy.

"Father Frost…"

"W-What?!" Stunned, Anna eyed her star-struck husband who struggled with words.

"M-My magical family of love experts told me stories about you, knowing how I love your icy creation! All along, what they say in those bedtime stories are true! I knew you existed! Since I was young, I loved what you do! Well, it was my work and my life, you know, the ice!" Speaking like a great fan, Kristoff smiled at Jack who smiled back amused at the ice master and deliverer. "Wow! This is so cool, you married my sister-in-law - you two are perfectly matched in winter heaven!"

"Ahem, Kristoff, could we talk for a second…" Losing formality, Anna held her excited husband's hand and pulled him in a corner with a questioning look. "What are you so happy about?! I could not even understand your words with the way you are gushing out, laughing, and muttering with unreasonable tears of bliss?!"

"Anna, your sister's husband, is the all-powerful Father Frost, also known as General Winter…you know, Old Man Winter."

"No, I am not aware who that is!"

"The one who brings winter. Well, to make it accurate, he's the personification of winter."

"Sure, funny, Kristoff! How could he bring winter?! No one else could bring winter except one time when Elsa set off an eternal winter here. Besides, he is not even an old man, he's Elsa's same age, and the only indication he looked old is his strange white hair, he is not even sporting a beard…" Replying her husband, Anna controlled herself from laughing out, while Kristoff tried to cover Anna's mouth, knowing her words are awfully rude. He was aware of such mythical tales of rudeness and unkindness had usually provoked the deity of winter to be unforgiving and brutal. Worst, he was noticing Elsa's husband was observing and knowing that he was being talked about, gave a faint unsettling grin of mischievousness as if his naughty child-like personality was somehow trapped in his young attractive self just to be an equal with his beloved consort.

To Kristoff's relief, it was a good thing that Olaf came into the scene and introduced himself at Jack.

"Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs."

"Hi, Olaf, I'm Jack, and I like warm hugs from Elsa."

Blushing, Elsa felt wanting to shrink and turn invisible in embarrassment as Jack could not hold back from being formal and serious anymore.

"I'm so glad I met you. Hands down, this is the best day of my life so far."

"Well, how do yah know, I also feel the same way too." Jack bended down near Olaf who chatted at him.

"You two ought to get together, you make a great couple. See, I considered myself a love expert."

"Thanks, little guy. Truth is we are together and we're already a married couple, so you don't need to worry about that. The very thing you'll think about is you'll be joined by your incoming other siblings instead. So, it's alright for me if you would like to call me - your dad."

"Okay, dad. My little brother, Marshmallow, and my other siblings, the snowgies, will be so pleased to see and meet you."

"Really, can't wait to meet and play mischief with my other children!" The deity of winter chuckled, whispered loudly at Elsa, smiling widely. "Our kids, huh?! Can't wait for more of them…"

Elsa's face turned into a deeper shade of red, couldn't believe Jack is behaving so intolerable and immature, she was tempted to pinch his ear and pulled him out from the room to give him a hard spanking in the rear.

"Jack. May I talk to you? Please. Alone."

"Sure, Elsa." Replying her, he followed her who excused them away from Anna and the rest of the royal family.

As soon as they walked briefly and moved to a turn towards another room, Elsa pulled Jack inside instantly.

"You don't need to hurry, you and I have plenty of time…" his smile widened when Elsa closed the door before pushing him against the wall, thinking something else in his clogged and cloudy mind, controlling not to laugh while his eyes wandered around her.

"What are you thinking?!" Placing both of her hands clutched close before her, she chided him.

"Hmmmm, a lot!" Gesturing with his hand, he replied her. "About our family, and how wonderful they are. I think I will love my stay here in Arendelle as I will get to know them better."

Her anger faded upon hearing Jack's sincere words about family. She drew near him and gave him a loving kiss as he replied her back with a long kiss. And when he was about to move away from her, Elsa held his hands and pulled him gently back towards her to exchange a new set of long fiery kisses, succumbing them to their heated passions.

Jack moved a step behind, making him sit on a large desk while assisting Elsa to move and sit on top of him. She straddled on him while they remained kissing each other. They were about to move to the next higher level of their elated desires at each other when suddenly Anna opened the door and apologized awkwardly, leaving Elsa's frozen stiff before Jack. The bringer of winter waved his hand before motionless Elsa's pale and uncomfortable face when seeing Anna saw her kissing with Jack while she was on top of him, clearly dominating the entire time.

* * *

_Did she saw us?! This is so awkward…_

Elsa remained silent and glancing down at her food on her plate during dinner at the grand hall where Anna pretended that she never saw what she have seen earlier, remained talking to Jack who noticed it was more of a one-sided conversation, which was a curious "interrogation" about him.

The strawberry blonde continued to bug him questions on how he met Elsa, as Anna's questioned him on and on, until they were interrupted by Kristoff once in a while, hoping his wife's curiosity will not make the particular guest offended. It was followed by Olaf's senseless chat of trivia before the snowman played with the Anna and Kristoff's children around the grand dining hall until it was time to go to their chambers to sleep that night.

After leading them to the royal guest chambers, Anna embraced her sister, whispering a good night to Elsa and Jack, before she left with Kristoff.

As soon as Elsa closed and locked the door, she felt Jack's arms wrapped around her waist as he stood behind her.

"J-Jack…?" Sensing, he liked to continue where they left with their kisses before their invitation for dinner earlier, she moved slightly away from her husband who began kissing her on her neck and shoulder. "Sorry, I can't…"Elsa turned to face him who was startled at her answer. Since they were married, they do what couples do intimately together every night. Her blue eyes rolled from him towards a particular wall, knowing Anna's and Kristoff's bedchamber was beside their own royal guest chambers.

Whispering at her, Jack did not releasing his hold around Elsa. "You think your sister is listening behind the wall."

"I know, my sister, believe me, she is."

Laughing softly, her husband replied her. "I noticed the walls are thick in this palace." Truth, he doesn't care if curious Anna and her spouse hears or sees them, since he is the kind of person who is ready to declare and act openly his love towards her. However, he's aware that Elsa does not like their privacy violated, she always liked their special intimate moments with him alone.

"No, not with that wall! I know the palace well, Jack, I was born and raised here." She paused, gave an apologetic look at Jack who just kissed her forehead as a reply. It seemed he had to extend the part of being a good boy once again. Releasing his hold on her, out of deep respect and love for her, Jack almost moved towards the bed to prepare himself to go to sleep when he and Elsa heard muttering whispers of questions that turned into a brief argument at the other room.

Giving a look at him that she was right about Anna, Elsa halted glancing at Jack at the other side of their bed when they started to hear that the quarrel stopped and became a passionate make-up session instead between Anna and Kristoff. Blushing into deepest hue of red, Elsa could not believe she is placed in such awkward situation again, and wondering how they will be sleeping the night away if her sister and her husband were noisily doing their love thing.

Having enough with the noise at the other room, Elsa was tossing and turning in their bed while Jack remained eyeing their room ceiling for hours, noticed his platinum blonde haired wife rose up from the other side of the bed.

It's been hours since they ended up sleepless with the commotion at the other royal chambers.

"Don't mind me, Jack, go to sleep, I just need a bit of fresh air…" Pulling away the blankets, she moved away from their bed and headed towards the balcony.

After minutes she opened the doors of the balcony and stepped outside, she closed her blue eyes and raised her arms away from her sides.

Suddenly, he flew away from their bed and carried her in the air that night.

"Wasn't that a relief?!" Jack whispered behind her, his arms remained wrapping around her who smiled and laughed, eyed the entire palace of Arendelle. Elsa held his hands and pulled his arms to tighten around her.

"Could anyone see us out here?"

"Why won't you like them to see us making love here in the air since we used to back in our home?"

"J-Jack?!" Her face turned into deepest scarlet. Seeing her reaction, Jack laughed amusedly at her, remained smiling widely. "No, it is just strange if they see us flying?!"

"As you wish, they'll not see us."

"How sure are you?"

"You know, immortals have a certain power of will. If they don't like anyone to see them, they don't show themselves."

"You mean being invisible. Is that how you were when you came to visit me here back then?"

"Every time I bring my season of winter." Jack pressed his face near Elsa who raised her hand towards his face to loving kiss with him who replied her back with a lingering kiss in the lips.

Landing on the highest rooftop of the palace, Jack felt Elsa pulled away slightly from him, pointing at the familiar window of her old room.

"Look, my window, do you remember, your frosts…"

"I never forget, every time I visited you and viewed you from outside your window."

Holding his hand, Elsa pulled him towards her old bedroom in the isolated wing of the palace.

At an instant when Jack opened the particular window of Elsa's old bedroom, he summoned a breeze to clean and swept the dusts away. Allowing her to enter first, Jack followed her further inside.

* * *

He woke up, gasping for air, rose up viewing himself naked and snuggled close beside Elsa on her old bed.

_Did he just dreamt of his pasts in Niflheim, which he long kept suppressed?!_

Calming himself for a couple of seconds, Jack's blue eyes wondered around and viewed himself in the familiar old room. He moved slightly, causing her to awaken beside him.

"J-Jack…?" Elsa whispered his name in concern, thinking it must be so uncomfortable and overwhelming for him to be staying at the palace with her. It was the first time she saw him like this. She drew nearer and embraced him who forced to give an assuring look and faint smile, pressed his forehead against her forehead and whispering at her that he is alright, before they passionately made love again.

"Is your sister really that loud even if she is married and had children with Kristoff?" Moving his face away from her neck after showering her with his kisses, Jack sighed. "She's been knocking at the door for minutes and calling your name…"

"…on the wrong door of a wrong room at the opposite wing at the wrong time …" Replying him back, Elsa waited for them to finish after minutes of their passionate union as Jack was moving away from her and lying down his back on her bed. Afterwards, she lay her head on his chest and snuggled with him to briefly rest before she stroke lovingly her hand on his face. Pulling herself away from him who watched her dressed up, Elsa whispered at him. "I told you it's better to stay the night here with me in my old bedroom, we won't be disturbed at all."

"Why not stay here by my side a little longer?" Jack gave a seductive glint in his eyes coupled with his known irresistible smirk, tapped the bed near his side while Elsa raised her brow and gave a faint teasing smile at Jack. "Come on, while Anna is still searching for us in the other guest rooms at the opposite wing of the palace and hoping to take a curious glimpse of us since she wants to know if we are a real couple, and not some ruse you might play her around with."

"Jack?!" Elsa became concerned. "Is that how my sister thinks when she saw us as a married couple?"

"Yeah, she does, because she never imagined you will be married since you're reserved and distant towards men and their amorous courtships to you. Besides, haven't you realized her kind of questions are mostly about us and her "true love will conquer all" lectures," Her tousled white haired husband chuckled amusingly. "Elsa, please another hour with me before breakfast, and then I'll join you with your sister and her family downstairs." Jack rose up seated while Elsa moved near her old bed, allowed Jack to hold her hand and guided her towards him to have another moment of intimacy with him.

* * *

"I thought that we will be joining your sister and her family for breakfast at the dining hall?" Jack followed Elsa who was leading him to a specific hall.

"I just would like to visit this place for the last time," She paused as they both viewed themselves in the throne hall. His platinum blonde haired wife suddenly gave him a questioning look, viewing Jack's body language and stance not wanting to proceed further in the throne room.

Jack's blue eyes lowered briefly, gave his false smirk at Elsa, slowly pulled his hand away from her hold and turned away, heading towards the door. "I'll wait for you outside, Elsa, if you still would like to reminisce sitting on the throne as the Queen of Arendelle..."

"No, it belonged to Anna. And I do not want the throne."

"Why?" Jack questioned her.

"I have to admit that it is better to be with you down here rather be alone up there."

Jack halted himself from leaving the hall upon hearing the truth from Elsa, kissed and embraced her in unreasonable joy, he then whispered at her. "Thanks for loving me this way." Closing his eyes and embracing her in a lingering way, he was very happy that he had not made a mistake of loving her.

"J-Jack?" Elsa puzzled upon hearing his strange words as if it came from another side of him that she could never deny had drawn her towards him in the first place. She embraced Jack but ceased doing so when Anna opened the doors with Kristoff, and gave a mouthful of words that made Jack and Elsa blushed while Kristoff choked coughing.

"No wonder you two are taking so long?! Do you know Kristoff and I have done amazing things in the throne hall?!"

"No, thank you, that is between you and Kristoff." Getting what Anna meant to shock him, Jack remained smiling. "Elsa and I had no problem about that at all!"

"So, how's your life married to my sister?" Anna asked bluntly at Jack who chuckled at Anna's frankness, noticing Anna's inquisitiveness about him, trying to know if he is the kind of person meant to be with her sister. "We are all adults here, we can talk anything under the sun."

"Anna, enough, please…" Elsa shifting her blue eyes away awkwardly from Jack and her sister while Kristoff remained coughing.

"Nah, it's alright," Jack gestured at his wife. "Glad to meet my sister-in-law, and well, sooner than later, expect your nephew and niece too."

"What?! Really?! Seriously?!"

"No, don't take it seriously. Jack's joking. He loves to joke."

Anna still unable to understand Jack's words, seemed deaf at Elsa's advice since she was pretty much perked up upon hearing those words - nephew and niece. "So about my niece and nephew, when are they coming? I want to meet them as soon as possible!"

"You need a bit of patience, your majesty." Jack's smile widened as he was laughing silently at Anna and her known adorkable self.

"I'm hoping to see them. You know, I'm not very patient!" Anna commanded Jack and her sister, remained in her very excited self, gesturing her hand up in an authoritative manner.

The platinum blonde blushed, elbowing Jack to stop aggravating the situation because Jack knew Anna had a streak of being gullible, quirky and bubbly.

Facing her sister, Anna changed the conversation when recalling something of great importance. "Elsa, could I ask a favor, just a tiny itsy bitsy thing."

"Of course, Anna, I will help you with whatever way I can." Elsa replied her sister who gestured at her towards the royal study while Jack stood with Kristoff alone, who gushed out at Jack again about his fascination on his icy creations.

* * *

Entering the royal study, Anna grabbed a handful of paper piled on the table.

"Sorry about this, Elsa. You're my guest but as I recalled you are an expert with this complicated stuff! I can't just rely everything to my advisers." She continued. "Damn it! No wonder, you were downright so serious before?! How could it not bore someone to death by perusing all of these treaties, agreements, decrees and laws?! Everything is giving me a painful headache!"

"You don't only have to sign them all, Anna, but you could also amend them if there is a need."

"No. No way, that will be the council's work, not for me anymore?!" Anna remained massaging her forehead that wrinkled before Elsa who bit her lips in worry at Anna who was not just used with this kind of difficult mental work.

"I can't even believe they are asking for my advices regarding the reforms in the peace and order situations down to the distribution of our kingdom's budget to the projected expenditures of our country?! I can't take this anymore?! How did you ever survived this, Elsa?! I think I need a break, how about a bit of fresh air, care to walk with me outside? How about we have our breakfast in the gardens?!" Anna's frown changed immediately into a cheerful smile while Elsa nodded and smiled. After talking with a servant to request their breakfast to be served in the gardens, they walked outside through the balcony where there is a stone-built stairs heading to one of the royal gardens where Anna's children gathered playing with Kristoff, Jack and the royal hounds.

Unaware that their spouses left the royal study, Kristoff remained walking outside the palace and chatting with Jack about marital life and its obligations, and then, about their wives.

"So how's your life, particularly with her?"

"Are you just like your wife, Anna, curious about stuff that should never be your concern?"

"About your wife, Elsa, aren't you? You know, like me with Anna, annoyed at my wife sometimes. Not that I hate my wife, I love my bae with all my heart. I'm really glad I married her and had these awesome hyperactive kids with her." He paused, gave a soft laughter while Jack remained listening attentive at Kristoff who recalled his anti-social behavior of his former self, especially towards people. "You might be thinking why I'm quoting this overused words about women - "you can't live with them, you can't live without them"". And I think you are really right, that I am like Anna, because it might be those years I spent with her, loving her. She became a big part of me, that I'm forever bonded with her. And that is how married life is with me now." Kristoff started gushing out. "It is just that I never expected Elsa ended married since she's reserved and kinda having this unreachable aloofness, and that only logic and reason works with her. My sister-in-law is really a softie beneath that "obey me I'm the queen thing", with her usual orders such as "don't touch anything" commands in one of Anna's birthdays years ago because she thought Sven, Olaf, and I are fools, and she wanted Anna's birthday celebrations to be perfect." Kristoff paused. "I could imagine that she warmed up with you. I mean, she do care a lot, and loved the people of Arendelle. And how she loved so much her sister, Anna. Everyone knows she has a kind heart."

"Warmed up with me…" Jack echoed the particular words, while Kristoff thought the words offended Jack as a deity of winter. However, his anxiety disappeared when seeing Jack chuckled amused. "When she's with me, the temperature's higher than warm."

Upon hearing his admired ice creator, Kristoff widened his eyes and stammered his words before Jack, as he realized their wives were drawing near beside them. "W-Wait…I thought…you don't like the heat…" He ceased talking to Jack when he was sensing Elsa was standing with Anna a few feet from them. Smirking, Jack replied him in a whisper.

"I'll leave you with that for your mind to ponder and imagine about."

The blond haired man gaped, his jaw opened wide as he stared speechless at Jack who drew near Elsa whose eyes lit up when gazing back at her Jack.

* * *

Waking up in the middle of the night, she rose up and moved away from their bed. Then, she drew near the table where she left some pile of papers which she carried from Anna's study.

Unaware that Jack was waking up upon feeling her moved away from him, Elsa covered herself with one of their blankets and began reading and perusing all of these treaties, agreements, decrees and laws. She then started to write down amendments, advices, and plans to help her sister, while Jack's blue eyes watched her secretly until she grew tired and sleepy, slept with her head lying on the desk instead.

* * *

Surprised, Elsa woke up the next morning on the bed. She quickly rose up when seeing Jack seated on the nearby chair. He was facing a chessboard, holding a particular white chess piece before placing it down when sensing she had awakened that morning. Jack stood up and took a tray of food from the nearby table, placing and serving her breakfast.

"Good morning."

"Jack, you brought me breakfast in bed?"

"You're clearly exhausted, Elsa," Sitting near her on the bed, her husband placed his hand on top of her hand before he pushed gently away a lose strands of her platinum blonde hair away from her face. "Rest for a while, take your time. I'll wait for you outside in the gardens." They kissed briefly before Jack left their room.

After eating her morning meal, then taking a shower, and dressing up, she drew near the window to grab a cord to pull up the curtains, until she noticed her chess board nearby. She stood stunned, gazing at the checkmate position of the chess pieces, particularly the white queen piece that Jack earlier held and placed into a position that made every move impossible for other black chess pieces to move and counter, ending the game with the captured black king.

_Did he?! No?! How could he?! Could he even play this game of strategy and power?! Was it a lucky fluke?!_

She had no idea. She never ever saw him play chess, not even touching the pieces, unlike he just did today. However, she had to shove it aside. She had a lot of things to do, not to say the documents she still had to read and amend with her advices.

Turning to face the table where she left the pile of papers last night, she discovered that they were missing, hurried outside the royal guest chambers and entered Anna's study.

"Where is it?! The documents on my desk. Those are not finished!"

Elsa remained questioning and ordering the servants and assistants as a handful of the members of the council entered Anna's study to discuss to her sister the advices made that morning. She heard one of the council members praised the advices that made Anna speechless, even mentioning the queen don't need advisers to advise her around particularly on the peace and order of her kingdom.

Elsa requested a council member to give her back the documents, pretending she forgotten to add further advices on behalf of the queen, her sister, Anna.

Noticing her elder sister's hands clutched tightly the amended and signed documents, Queen Anna of Arendelle heard Elsa excused herself immediately as she left the study and proceeded outside to the gardens.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Howling Winds of the Past –

Hearing the cold harsh tone of her voice, Jack expected that every word from her will be like a burning sensation from the most frigid dry ice.

"You finished all of them, my work, didn't you?"

"Why do you say that?" Jack continued lying down on the tree branch on one of the garden trees near the patch of white roses while Elsa's blue eyes did not avert from him the moment she saw him.

"Because even if you convinced everyone that I have done my work, I know my handwriting well, and the way I used my words…" Her voice changed suddenly, demanded him to talk to her properly. "I am talking to you, why don't you…?!"

"I, what?!" He rose up and jumped down from the tree and landed inches before her while Jack noticed her. "You wanna talk to me, and you're talking to me. Now that I'm down here, facing you, you seemed to be tongue tied?!" Preventing her from almost stepping back, Jack held her hand and pulled her closer at him. "Don't you back away! You should never back away - whether you are a queen or not."

"Let go of me!" She retorted at him who did not let go of her.

"What's wrong? Suddenly, you're uncomfortable to be this close to me?!"

"What's wrong?! Clearly, you should know why! How dare you forged my writing and pretended to be me?!"

"Isn't it serious enough?! Look, those aren't jokes I wrote off! Besides, you're too tired to go on last night!"

"I could lock you up!"

"Then, please, lock me up, then put me close to you …" he ceased replying with his royal blue eyes looking away that startled Elsa who ended being embraced by Jack. "…afterwards, you could do anything you want with me…" He whispered at Elsa while she did not pushed him away after hearing his words when realizing that he meant to pretend in order to divert her attention, and presently, reminding her the real reason they were there in the first place. She wrapped her arms around him, drew her face nearer to his ear.

"Are we being watched?" The observant platinum blonde whispered near his ear, while Jack retained his keen eyes at a particular place where a snowy owl in a distant tree had perched briefly and then, flew off.

"Doesn't matter anymore - we've been spotted the moment we stepped here in your world." Jack replied her, backed slightly away from Elsa before giving her a distinct look. "By now, honey, you should know the reason I wanted you out here, even if it means making you..."

"Making me damn angry must be worth it, Jack, and I see, it is." Elsa's brow shot up with amused interest at her husband. "These garden stones…"

"The night when we flew up from the royal guest chambers towards your old room where we spent the night…"

"You needed to see the big picture."

"Kinda, sweetheart, and these garden stones caught my eye. They were not only for ornamental designs in the gardens." The bringer of winter viewed Elsa's demeanor returned back to her known cool logical and reasonable self.

"They were arranged in an astronomical way to tell the time and the seasons…" She moved around, cast an eye over at the particular garden stones, one by one in her known meticulous self. "…just like the Stonehenge in Britain, but it's a smaller and older version…"

Jack smiled widely at Elsa, impressed at his spouse. "The question is why were they arranged in such a way? In all places, these stones were significantly placed here, unless they wanted to mark something in particular." He halted when eyeing Elsa drew near a specific stone, and heard her spoke of an astronomical phenomenon before she lifted up her eyes where the stone stood directed at the front windows of Arendelle's throne room.

"Winter Solstice." She turned to face Jack who approached her near the same stone, and gestured at her to move aside before he closed his right hand into a closed fist and punched powerfully the ground that frozen and cracked quickly, creating a wide and deeper hole.

"Goin' down…" Holding out his hand towards her, Jack gave her a look of excitement. "Come on, you and I together, afterwards this mysterious adventure of ours, you could lock me up and do whatever you want with me tonight. Just promise me to give all your sugary sweetness, love."

"Like I have a choice, I'm stuck with you all the way like frozen ice." Replying him back with a teasing smile, she viewed his other free hand clutched his materializing wooden crook-shaped staff. Elsa drew near Jack, wrapped her arms around him who held her back as they both flew down into the hole.

* * *

As soon as they landed in the underground depths of the largest burial mound, the platinum blonde paced away from Jack when seeing the stone-built front door had the familiar engraved sign which was etched on the garden stone that indicated Winter Solstice.

Elsa glanced at the vast stretch of darkness in the narrowed path of the labyrinth before them, held out her right hand, creating a shining silvery white snowflake which she allowed to drift before them to light their way until it stopped drifting away, floated in mid-air before a dead end which was an engraved designed wall. "Look, there it is again, that symbol…"

Even if it would never affect him and Elsa, Jack unleashed his winds to blow away the overpowering smell of a long trapped odor and dust of the earth to view the entire rune writings carved on the huge wall. He then pointed at three symbols, reading and translating the ancient writings. "The three Great Houses of Niflheim descending from three powerful Nordic Gods, and the three legendary treasures they made and exchanged as eternal heirlooms. The first treasure was the weapon of power - the Royal Staff was from the Thorleif (Icestorm) Family of the lineage of Thor, the God of Thunder and War. The snowstorm-sky deities of flight and weather controllers of Niflheim's sky where they lived in their kingdom of clouds." Rolling his eyes towards the next symbol, Jack continued informing Elsa. "Then, the second family, the Frosti (Frost-Glacier) Family, descendants of the Giant Loki, the God of Cunning and Mischief created the mirror of secrets - the Trolden Mirror. The infamous sages, tricksters, and intellects, the lords of the lowlands, including the Cornice Capital where the Crystal Throne of Winter lies." When he was about to point for the last symbol, the same distinct symbol that Elsa saw in the garden stone and the entrance door of the maze where they both stood, she broke away from her long silence, reading aloud the rune writings on the wall.

"The rune symbol for Snaer (Snow) Family was the last house that provided the last treasure, the gem of desire - the Wishing Star. The immortal descendants from the line of Freyja, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, who lived on the Silvery Valley of Peace but fled Niflheim, and had lived in Midgard and ruled Arendelle." She paused for a moment before stating her assumptions. "Let me guess, everything was fine until the exchanged gifts turned to heirlooms occurred…" Elsa faced Jack who held out his frosted staff which was emanating bluish light besides Elsa's radiant snowflake, for him to read the next ancient runes.

His blue eyes read speedily the writings, and answered her back. "What do you know, you hit the jackpot?! Yeah, you're right, when it comes to power, no one wants to share. At first, the ruling power was designated for each other Three Great Houses through designated periods, until one of them decided he is the "destined savior" with the infinite divine and royal birthright to rule them all to bring eternal peace and order, and save everyone from an impending doom of Niflheim."

"Doom?"

"The origin of the civil wars of Niflheim." Jack's face turned unexpectedly somber with icy seriousness, then he fell into deep morose silence. His platinum blonde haired wife shifted her eyes at the next texts to know how the shattering discord had occurred, continued to read it for them.

"It was said that all the Great Houses did not trust each other. Each made the gifts counterproductive from the way it should be use for the greater good of everyone in Niflheim. The House of Thorleif made the Royal Frosted Crook Staff for those only worthy to hold its power. They have asked its creators, the dwarves, Sindri and Bokkr, the brother-smiths who forged Thor's legendary hammer, Mjölnir, that only their courageous and self-sacrificing bloodline could use the full potential of the weapon of power. As for the Snaer Family, they were the only ones to know and hold the true magic of the Wishing Star. Although the elegant gem of desire could grant anyone's wish, only the few of those of pure hearts with beautiful and good intentions could use the Wishing Star which was fashioned by its makers, who molded Brisingamen, Freyja's famous golden necklace. Its makers were the four dwarves - Álfrigg, Dvalinn, Berlingr, and Grérr." She paused momentarily before she continued reading. "Lastly, the House of Frosti believed that they could never trust the other two families too, making the Trolden Mirror - the worst amongst all of powerful treasures of Niflheim. They sought the advice and help of their deity-kin, Loki himself. And the devil devised his most horrible trick after trapping and forcing the dwarf, Andvari, who created the magical ring, Andvaranaut, to create the devastating treasured mirror. Due to his pain and suffering, Andvari cursed the mirror of secrets to corrupt anyone with its powers, and one of its known powers is to distort the appearance of everything it reflects - for it fails to reflect the good of people and things, and magnifying and influencing the evil within, thus, freezing anyone's heart into ice cold apathy." She did not finished when he muttered beside her.

"One of its powers…"

Elsa glanced back at Jack. "You mean it has a lot of powers unlike the other two treasures turned heirlooms."

"Yeah, it was used against your aunt, Ingrid, imprisoning her inside the Trolden Mirror by one of the sisters of Chronos, the Fates, also known as the Norns. Skuld used one of the secret spells but who gave it to them?" Contemplating, the bringer of winter spoke further. "That means Loki used the net of the Sea Giantess, Ran, to trap Andvari. For him to have the dwarf's ring and to create the accursed mirror for my family's ancestors. I never realized that the power of the net of Ran was also used in trapping your aunt within the mirror."

"Wait, how do you know about the net of Ran when it was never mentioned here, and it was used to create the Trolden Mirror?!"

"I'm not an avid reader of Norse mythology like you, but I heard it firsthand."

"From who?" Her voice raised slightly with a tone of sheer interest which she failed to conceal and suppress.

"Loki himself." Jack noticed Elsa's flabbergast expression, lowered his blue eyes when she held his arm before he almost lead them further inside her ancestors' tombs.

"Loki? You're joking, aren't you?!" She let go of her hold at him when realizing he isn't joking at all.

"I've talked to him countless times just like when I sought several war training advice from Thor. Unlike Thor who is busy protecting humankind, Loki does communicate a lot to me and my brothers. We're not only from his line of descendants. He treated us proudly as his own prodigies."

Recalling that he belonged to the two families whose lines came from Thor and Loki, Elsa viewed Jack held and placed her hand back where she held him, gave a faint amused smile at her before he whispered seductively near her ear.

"Elsa, you don't need to take away your hand from me…"

His platinum blonde haired wife stared seriously at him this time, pulling away her hand from his hold.

"It's not the right time and place to flirt with me, Jack!" Reminding and stepping away from him, she returned her eyes to read another set of four runic alphabets, which had grabbed her entire attention.

Focusing at the first rune which is a straight vertical line which meant as ice, Elsa shifted her eyes at the next three runic letters. The next rune was shaped like a shape of a diamond with two sided tails, while the other rune beside it was the particular symbol for the Snaer Family that resembled a blossoming six pointed snowflake-flower heart-shaped loops. Moving her eyes at the last runic alphabet which resembled a capital Y, but with three pointed tips, meaning algiz for a defensive protection against evil.

"Look here, this is quite out of place?! I think this means - Magic Protection for Snaer Family member under the ancestry and guidance of the Deity of Fertility, Harmony and Love: lock all against the Snaer bloodline which are from the Evil House of Loki." She didn't finished reading the next ancient texts engraved on the same wall when Jack's blue eyes widened with distressed, knowing that kind of magic spell must never be uttered for it will be reversed – freeing something locked within the place. But it was too late for him to warn her when the entire place trembled and shook, prompting him to fly quickly towards her. Instantly, they were separated by a multitudes of thick walls spawning up from the earth as if the entire place was an ever-changing labyrinth. "Jack!"

"Elsa!" Jack called out her name, almost summoned his icy powers to destroy the walls between them but ceased himself when sensing something. "Elsa, whatever you do, do not move, and don't turn your back…"

"I'm not." Assuring him, Elsa remained calming herself in the dark after something ate her drifting snowflake of light. Then, the eerie silence around her turned into growling noises. Her blue eyes remained vigilant at the infinite darkness of a narrowed path before her, but knew the origin of the noises were not approaching her, but were already there near her. Unable to move from where she stood, Elsa sensed large drops of saliva fell inches near her right shoulder. Defying gravity, the fierce creatures remained in the shadows above her before one of them slowly drew near, sniffing her while its jaws widened to open further as its weary but vigilant companion remained pacing upside down on the high ceiling.

* * *

He had to take the chance rather than regret anything that might happen to her, even if it might trigger a magical counterattack against him since he was not in his own domain. The deity of winter clutched his frosted staff and spoke in his ancient tongue as his eyes remained concentrating before the thick walls separating him from Elsa.

The beast hesitated even if it was aware that the cautious platinum blonde haired woman before him summoned unconsciously icy bladed weapons forming on both of her hands for self-protection.

"You do not registered in a certain category. You're from the blood of the nemesis, and yet, you smelled strongly of one of my godly kindred-lords?!"

_Did the giant wolf-beast just spoke to me?! It seemed I have to throw away logic and reason out again?! And to think like Jack - maybe, making a joke. And hoping it would die through laughing itself to death._

Speechless, her blue eyes remained twitching, trying to calm herself from her growing panic as the beast lowered himself a few feet away from her, sniffing at her again. As her vision slowly adapted in the darkness around her, the creature stepped into Elsa's vision. Seeing the warg remained confused like his brother that remained above on the ceiling with its spiky darkened fur and long tail trailing behind him in agitation, Elsa gave a series of deep breaths for minutes before the sensation of being in a trance, seemed to lessen her fears.

"You smell of someone I knew. Someone in Niflheim long ago…the one I knew once was a boy, whom our father called his brother, brother of defiance, who was born partly in the lineage under my father's father. Somehow, his scent is all over you." The colossal wolf's nose remained pointing towards Elsa, particularly between her legs. "But you, you are one of them, the enemy, the Snaer. I and my pack sworn to tear them all apart. For the Snaer Family had waged war against us!" He showed ferociously his fangs at her after making up his mind to kill her, thinking that she was just like her ancestors who have the power of magic to overwhelm and manipulate emotions.

"W-War…?!" Echoing the warg's word in puzzlement and shock, Elsa halted to question when the walls were destroyed by a more gigantic-sized wolf. However, this time, the other two dire wolves moved back submissively when confronting their alpha leader, their own father.

Snarling at the deity who was riding on his back, the notorious Wolf stared at his sons who were cornering a platinum blonde woman. "Can't believe, you did that, it was stupid of you, invoking me in an enemy's domain which was protected still by their magic beyond their graves…"

"At least you heard me, Fenrir. Besides, you want to know where your two sons were, don't you?"

The Alpha Warg remained carrying Jack who rolled his eyes at the two younger wolves, Sköll and Hati. Jack leaped down from Fenrir's back and drew towards the platinum blonde while his blue eyes remained at the other wargs.

"Seemed you already met my wife, Elsa."

"Jokul Frosti's woman?! With all of your immortal and indifferent life you lived?! Anyone or everyone else you can have?! You've chosen her, a shining snow, as your equal and consort?!" Sköll whispered in shock but apologized quickly, lowered his head, but his brother stayed his wary eyes at the platinum blonde.

"But how could this be? Her blood, smelled the blood of the cursed adversarial line who was fated to have a descendant who is the fearsome destroyer of all powers of ice. The same enemy that left Niflheim and sought refuge here in this new backwater world?!" Hati questioned but he halted when his father growled. Fenrir snapped and bit at his offspring that fell down in submissive silent while the wolf leader remained pinning and standing near his sons to retain their silence.

"My sons will not trouble you any longer." Fenrir eyed the couple while Jack returned his blue eyes at Elsa who moved away after the wargs disappeared before them.

* * *

Noticing a large crack at the opposing wall facing them, she retained her eyes at the sight of a large crack which revealed a ship's tomb, but unlike any ordinary Viking ship, the ruins of a strange crystalized and fractal designed airborne silvery vessel was apparently of celestial and advanced origin, that none ever existed from her world.

Giving a deep breath, Elsa whispered at him, drawing near the lone standing wall with the large crack, hoping she was not hallucinating when feeling her instincts was telling her that her one of her longtime questions about her origins will be soon answered. "Do you see what I see?"

"A ship …" Jack moved near her who held out her hands inches away from the wall that mysteriously crumbled down before she could touch it.

Pacing a step, she suddenly felt the familial presence that awakened, gathered and shot up from the ship and scattered like crystalized dust of glistening snow before it morphed into two powerful forces that gently surrounded her and the other force that repelled Jack away from her side, furiously throwing him away.

Due to the consequence of using his power earlier to summon Fenrir, it had taken a toll with the god of winter who became weakened and could not get up, Jack remained asphyxiated and pinned down at the far corner of the tomb hall.

"Jack!" Elsa shouted his name, did not ceased outstretching her hand to stop the hostile force separating them.

Out of nowhere, a familiar sight of a blonde and blue eyed woman wearing an otherworldly drapes of silvery blue appeared and greeted her in her polite tone of voice. Thinking she's her aunt, Elsa pleaded at her. "Ingrid, please stop! You're killing Jack!"

"No, I am not your aunt, Ingrid. I resembled her because we both shared the same blood. We are from our same family - descended from the Love Goddess Freyja of the Vanir. When I was alive, I am known as Drifa. And I am here to save yourself from him, an enemy, who belonged to the line of the warmongering violent brute and the deceitful lying devil!"

"I am asking you to stop hurting my husband, so stop please… unless you leave me no choice but to fight you!"

"Are you saying you are going to fight me even if I am your family, Elsa?"

"I believed that one from my family will never hurt another member of my family!" Speaking out her words with a deep conviction, Elsa gave a resolute look at Drifa whose lips form a surprisingly profound smile.

"Elsa of Arendelle, you're captivatingly beautiful as well as fiery passionate under that cool calm composure that inspires-definitely you are one of us, Snaer! Now show me everything you can do to the one you love!" Her ancestor lifted and directed her outstretched hands to call and gather damaging icy winds against Elsa. The platinum blonde remained her hand towards Jack to prevent Drifa's powers to deprive husband's air supply, while she quickly held out her other hand to fight back.

Countering the first strike of the enemy with same powerful cold winds with snow, Elsa then pointed down her hand, summoning several frosts and ice to encase the enemy before creating defensive walls to give her time to reach out her husband's frosted staff through invoking a gust of wind to have a hold of it. She counterattacked when Drifa had set herself free and disposed powerfully her several defensive walls.

_Gotta break out from it!_

Focusing everything he had, Jack willed himself out of the hostile powers that have gotten hold on him for a couple of minutes before he destroyed such powers and had started gasping out for air. He lifted his royal blue eyes at the two women fighting, struggled up to his feet to help Elsa with her fight.

Lashing out a whirling ice blasts at the enemy who summoned a destructive blizzard that Elsa disintegrated with her powers combined with her husband's staff, only to be pushed powerfully away after she had used Jack's frosted conduit-weapon due to its powerful force shooting out ice blasts and blizzards.

Feeling she did not hit a wall but something softer than the stone wall, Elsa eyed at Jack behind her. "Don't need to thank me, honey, I always got your back, but I think I need my staff right now to fight …"

"Good! I really need you in this fight against her!"

"You know, you could always use me as your cushion." Shaking his head briefly, Jack viewed his vision briefly blurred with floating glimmering snow which were not his. "I truly miss you, just love the way you were always beside me, your skin brushing against mine..."

"You mean you like a feel of me?!" she retorted at him in annoyance and anger upon feeling his hands all over her as he was kissing her nape in heated desire to have sudden passionate union with her. "Could you cut that out?! Suddenly, you turned out uncontrollably lustful towards me. Do you want me to kick some sense out of you, because it seemed there's less oxygen in your head for making you think poorly?!" Cursing under her breath when recalling and realizing about the Snaer Family and their ancestry line was from the Goddess of Love herself, particularly the crystalized dust of glistening snow, Elsa glanced back at Drifa who gave an amused mocking smile at her. "Shake it all off, Jack, because I need your help! Focus on your staff on your hands rather than your other "staff"?!"

"Still don't get it, or do you want me to elaborate it to you?!" Drifa eyed emotionally at Elsa. "You have Snaer blood in you, the descendants of Freyja. I was wondering about your years of existence - why you never used your gifts: those powers you inherited as if you froze it off and locked it all up! Pity, such a waste of unimaginable powers of desire, love, temptation and seduction. So, I've decided to help you out with your unused powers. Seemed your untapped powers which I opened for you, had contradicted and backfired to you, my dear sweet Elsa." She gave a narrowed look at the platinum blonde. "Don't tell me, you don't even know how to stop it?! Let me give you a clue to solve this little lustful love problem of yours - repel it, and it keeps on endlessly yearning, or give in to it, and it stops temporarily for a while. Your choice, you are after all from the bloodline of the Vanir goddess of love."

"I will have none of it!" Replying her in defiance, Elsa viewed the phantom of her ancestor looked shocked when powerful frosts and ice which she summoned earlier had merged with Jack's powers, had engulfed, frozen and defeated Drifa entirely.

* * *

Defeating her foe, she thought everything was finished when Elsa realized regretfully that their vengeance had begun as a series of disarrayed images that started haunting inside her mind as if Drifa and her other ancestors somehow was able to access her mind, showing her their memories of being hunted, massacred, and fleeing Niflheim, and then the most puzzling vision slipped inside her mind before she lost her consciousness and fell immediately down on the ground.

As the lone vision dominated against the countless memories of her long deceased ancestors, she was pulled further down into the deeper recesses of her mind…

Standing in the middle of the blinding radiance of a surreal domain, she stared at her own reflection, wearing a new silvery and icy blue armor and wielding a pair of weapons which were so familiar on her own hands.

"Elsa…your power grows greater with love. And nothing is impossible with your power." A voice from a not so distant past softly whispered those familiar words to her, but the tone of her hopeful voice changed with grief when she spoke again at Elsa. "….Love and Hate…are separated by a very thin line…"

Turning to face the one who was whispering at her, the platinum blonde glanced motionlessly at Freyja whose image changes from loving golden light to raging red fire.

"So you choose to suppress me and your power inherited from me, freezing your heart, believing it to be a sacrifice - for the good of those you hold dear …" Her eyes remained focused at Elsa before her knees buckled down in excruciating pain, pleading at her platinum blonde descendant. "I gave you the reigns of leadership of the Best of the Choosers of the Slain, my legions of Valkyries, who now awaiting in Fólkvangr, as you now stood alone before me with both of your swords in your hands…" Tears of gold streamed down from her blue eyes. Suddenly, those tears turned into white snow that drew and merged towards Elsa "H-Help me, Elsa…help me stop it…before everything will cease as it is…" Suddenly, Freyja lowered her face, her long gold strands of hair covering a part of her face as one of her blue eyes glowed into a vengeful green before she lifted her face with a different demeanor and personality and narrowed a hateful glare of discord. "Take every strength and hope you have, my dear Elsa, because I will smite everything! White ashes and dark bloodied snow will fall on your time even before Ragnarok will come knocking at the doors of the entire universe while those imposing and arrogant _Æsir_ warrior-gods will fall to their inexistence forever!"

In a silent reply, Elsa held up her bladed weapons of ice and meld them up together forming a wickedly looking double bladed long spear.

After summoning their full powers, they both charge to attack each other, facing their end, their Ragnarok. Her vision ceased when Elsa heard Jack calling her name as his voice had pulled her back to the present.

* * *

Returning back and being conscious of her surrounding, she fluttered her eyes open as her sight cleared and focused at Jack who remained seated beside her.

His face seemed unable to describe what he witnessed when seeing Elsa's awakened powers had created brilliant snowflakes frozen in time around them, which he sensed was not entirely made of snow at all.

Raising herself to take a seat, Elsa noticed Jack's look, waved out her hand to disintegrate the particular glimmering clustered tri-snowflakes which she made while she was unconscious, seemed aware they were not the kind of ordinary snow at all, but the destructive kind. "Sorry, never realized I'm able to do such out of box instead of the regular thing…"

"You don't need to apologize. The important thing is you are alright and unharmed."

"You know, Jack, I just got this strange vision…"

He remained kneeling beside her in attentive silence, knowing her bloodline are uniquely known to be seers of the future.

"What vision, Elsa, please tell me, is it about you and I with our children…?" He held her hand up which he was holding, drew her hand near his lips, kissing lovingly her hand. Elsa noticed the sting of melancholy in his royal blue eyes as he tried to sense and read her. Hoping to convince him with her faint smile, she caressed his face with her same hand which caught his kisses.

"Yes, just you and I with our children… back home with our family…up there in Arendelle…" Echoing his first words, Elsa decided not to speak about her vision any longer, wrapped her arms around Jack who carried her immediately in his arms before he floated and flew up towards the surface above.

The moment they left the hole, Jack concealed it by creating a set of dry ice bombs and blowing it all up that triggered the earth to indefinitely bury the hole to prevent anyone else in discovering about the ancient burial mound.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi my dear readers!

Yeah, right, y'all might think I would never write again. I've promise I'll never write a fanfic again and posted it in this fanbase, because you know, too few reviews, likes and follows. But because it's Frozen's 5th year anniversary, and the new movie, Frozen 2, will be showing up, I've posted teasers (Yep, three chapters in advance). Hopefully, some people will take an interest of these kind of epic romantic fantasy fanfic stories once more.

So, I'm gambling again by posting one of my first stories (written in 2015-2016 which I've posted back then), it's Wrapped in Winter's Eternal Embrace. My good old readers and followers might be familiar about it. I've made some revisions, especially in the first chapter. And FYI, I've changed the old title, and will be rating this story for Mature/Adult Readers because of some Adult themed stuff. (Sorry, hypersexual-maniac readers, no detailed graphic sex here to feed your insatiable lusts). I'm striving to make the story as wholesome as much as possible for the sake of other readers to enjoy. It should have been my last and final story from my six set of mini books revolving around Jack Frost and Elsa's epic romance-fantasy **interconnected** stories. Please don't expect that I will finish this story, "**The Dark Cold Waters of ****Urðr**** (Destiny)**". I can't guarantee about that, so be a little bit patient with me.

Also, I would like to apologise for unable to finish my other story, "The Snow Drifter King", as well as for being unable to write my other story, "The Legendary Snow Queen of Niflheim" which should be a story about how Elsa had fallen deeply in love with Jack who was transported through time and space, and turning into a temporary human after seeing and falling in love with Elsa in the Trolden mirror. Both stories, I've lost interest to write. Sorry, Jelsa fans but that's the problem with my volatile mood swings, added by few reviews, likes, and followers.

And if things will improve, with more readers and higher number of following, likes and reviews, I might finish the new revised story, and "The Snow Drifter King".

Anyway, I would like to thank the people (you know who you are), especially the loyal followers and reviewers, who kept on following, liking and reviewing my stories.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – The Feel of Ice Cold Steel -

"I think it is time to call it a day, don't you think?" Elsa tried to conceal her exhaustion, but unable to do so, giving an uncontrollable yawn before Jack who snickered and smirked at her.

"Yeah, I agree with you. Right to bed, we will…" He did not continued speaking when a familiar teasing voice intruded.

"Aren't you two inching to get each other into bed?!" Anna spoke while she stood with Kristoff who both joined them in the gardens. Jack drew near his wife to be escorted around the gardens while Anna demanded Kristoff to do the same to her.

"Why won't you two stay a little longer? Well, I, as Queen of Arendelle, commanded you two to stay just for a couple of days! We will have a celebration to wish you off as you return back to your home." Anna voiced out, shoving away the sadness of her voice since the time spent by her sister, Elsa, draw to a close.

"Well, we…" Elsa tried to struggle with her words since she knew the consequences of staying long, squeezed slightly Jack's hand, then afterwards, giving a look at him to keep their adventure about the ancient burial mound a secret. For now, she does not want to add problems and worries to her sister since apparently Anna as the Queen of Arendelle has her mind full with them. Her blue eyes shifted briefly at her husband before returning her attention towards Anna with Kristoff while they strolled around the royal gardens.

"...of course, we will," Jack without hesitation replied and smiled at them.

The strawberry blonde embraced delightedly her sister while Elsa eyed Jack happily. She knew they cannot stay long but she really wanted to spend more with her sister.

"If that is the case, I had to further tell the people in charge of the celebration to make everything grand. And oh, let's invite everyone!" Anna spoke energetically with excitement.

"And I should tell you the wine this year is the best because of a great harvest due to a very friendly and cooperative weather …" Kristoff conversed with Jack. "…which was surprising too since the winter last time was peaceful, just like the passed years, no snowstorms but fun in the snow with our kids…" Kristoff chuckled while his children were playing around them until the sound of the bell was heard. A servant drew near to inform them that their meal was ready in the dining hall. Anna's and Kristoff's children hurried inside followed by their parents while Elsa and Jack trailed behind.

His platinum blonde haired wife halted walking up the stairs towards the main palace door, turning to face him, asked.

"Why?"

"You wanted to stay here a little bit longer."

"Jack…"

"I always wanted to see you happy, Elsa."

His pure words had touched deeply her heart. Responding him, she held her hand to touch lovingly his face. "Oh, Jack, you know, I'm happy." Elsa paced a few steps before him, moving in front of Jack to kiss and embrace him. "Come, don't want our family to wait for us." Pulling herself away from Jack, she turned away from him. She gestured her hand towards him, but ceased when he did not immediately held her hand. Elsa turned to face Jack who did not move for a couple of seconds as he closed his eyes and lifted his face upwards into the skies for brief serene moment, exposing a rare and mysterious side of him which he a long had kept along with his belief of having fulfilled a dream of finding peace and happiness with her.

Her blue eyes unable to leave his sight, and for a moment, she viewed and absorbed it as something very precious to her.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he gazed at Elsa, Jack whispered and held her hand, gave his most sincere smile. "Finally, I'm not alone anymore, I'm home with you."

Waiting for him to step near beside her before she wrapped her arms around his arm, Elsa walked side by side with him to enter the palace.

* * *

Joining her sister and the rest of her family in the opulent dining hall of the palace where a wide array of abundant food was laid on the long table before them, Elsa asked Anna when seeing an empty seat among her sister's children as she and Jack took their seats beside each other.

"Wait, are you sure we could proceed?"

"You don't have to worry, Ellard, my first son, will be joining us later. Have send some servants to fetch him, since he is late from his fencing school. Remember, when we are young back then, particularly I who was kinda tomboyish and full of energy…"The strawberry blonde haired queen stopped conversing to her sister when seeing Ellard entered with bruises and cuts on his face. Anna stood up, drew near at his ten-year-old son who controlled his emotions due to his defeated sword matches. "What happened to you?"

"I'm alright, really!" He evaded his mother who kneeled before him to check him up.

"Ellard?!"Anna scolded her son and his growing ego.

Aside from being heir to the throne, her first son seemed to have inherited his Aunt Elsa's seriousness and introvert personality even if he looked a smaller male version of his mother except that he has the eye color of his father's brown eyes. He was obviously shutting himself because of his humiliation, remained his face and eyes lowered when he joined them during dinner.

The little strawberry blond haired prince didn't lift his fork as he toyed with his food for the entire time while Jack's blue eyes rolled and focused at the latecomer.

* * *

After sending her children to bed, and visiting them for a goodnight kiss, Anna joined Elsa and Jack alone in the hall.

"Where's Kristoff? I though he will be joining us for an evening tea?" Asking in concern, Elsa seated beside Jack, watching Anna gestured the servants for more sweets including chocolate treats for them to eat near the hearth.

"Having a "man-to-man" talk, you know, the father and son thing."

"Ellard doesn't want to sleep at all with what had happened to him today." Jack deduced while Anna sighed after sipping her tea.

"Yeah, I just don't get you, men, and your pride?!"Anna confessed frankly at Jack. "My son suddenly became angry at me when I dismissed his fencing teacher after telling the sword master that he does not need to be rough and rigid in his training with my son! And now, he refused to talk and even look at me?!" Anna frowned. "I am his mother, what does he expect?! I do not want him hurting with all those bruises and cuts?! He is still my little baby boy! My baby!" The strawberry blonde continued talking while Jack held Elsa's hand and gave a particular look of request at Elsa, not to be like her sister in case they will be having a son. Elsa's brows knitted at Jack for being insensitive that moment, but knew what Jack was trying to tell her - not to have the same attitude to their would-be son.

"Pardon, with all due respect, your majesty," Jack spoke at Anna, trying to be sensitive as Elsa gave him a firm look to be patient and respectful with clueless Anna. "But I think, it's time to explain that your son clearly doesn't like what you've done 'cause he wanted to stand on his own feet, even if he's struggling as long as he wanna do it in his own way in achieving something he wants. Just give him a bit of space, even if you deeply care for him as his mother."

Anna fell silent, contemplating Jack's words. Jack decided to leave, knowing Anna and Elsa needed time alone. He placed gently his hand on Elsa's shoulder and rose up from his seat, excusing himself with formality before them. Elsa viewed her white haired husband left them, explained patiently and clearly at Anna what Jack had said earlier, glad that after her explanations, Anna had understood.

* * *

He halted walking in the corridors when hearing Ellard's voice arguing with his father, Kristoff.

"How could you help me with this?! You are not even a swordsman but an ice master and deliverer! And it is required for me as a prince and an heir to the throne?!"

Ignoring his son's words, Kristoff replied and tried to comfort his son. "Then how about your mother, she knows how to fight with a sword!"

"No! Are you kidding?! Mother is no expert with the sword, what she knew are the basics!"

"Then, one of the knights as she had suggested earlier?!"

"All of the knights and warriors here have taught me for all these years, father?! And look at me, I haven't won a single match?! I suggest you leave me here alone!"

Stubborn-headed like his wife, Kristoff frowned and crossed his arms. "No, until I help you with your problem!"

"I said leave me alone!" he swung his sword to force his father to step away from him, but he stopped when hearing someone joined them in the fencing hall.

"Is that a way to treat someone who cared deeply for you, especially your father?"

"J-Jack?!" Kristoff turned to view Jack who approached calmly towards them. "This is not for you…"

"Odd, but as I recalled, marrying Elsa automatically includes me as part of this family." He paused for a moment before continuing to speak his mind. "Besides, your wife, Anna, had this famous quote which Elsa fondly used to remind me, and currently, it seemed to be echoing inside my head - family never gives up on each other."

The boy became stunned with widening brown eyes when hearing Jack's next words of observations regarding the way he wielded his weapon.

"No wonder, you lost your sword matches - your footing's wrong, it'll make you lose your balance. And your grip on your sword's too tight, the moment your sword will block another sword, your blade will slip from your hold. Let's not forget your swing, your swing's too high, you're leaving a wide opening for an opponent's attack. Plus, you're too slow 'cause you aren't used with that heavy sword on your hand. If you will be choosing a sword, choose something lighter to acquire more speed to attack the enemy without exhausting yourself."

"Y-You know…." Ellard stammered at Jack who turned away from the boy who is now aware he was talking to an expert swordsman or even a high level sword master. "Show me, please…"

"Sorry, your highness, I never teach, and my philosophy about swords is different here in your land. Here, you believed that the sword as merely a weapon of strength and power to be wielded in your hand, but back from where I was, it's a different level of belief." Jack looked away. "Anyway, I have long abandoned swords." He turned to leave Kristoff and Ellard. "If you want to continue to train as a real swordsman, I suggest you should know your limits and practice humility first."

Without explaining it furthermore to the boy who seemed to understand immediately what his blue eyed uncle meant, Ellard bowed low before his father and apologized sincerely for his rude actions.

* * *

Soft gust of wind carried the fragrance of the meadows of the countryside inside their horses-drawn royal carriage…

"I have yearned to bring you here for a surprise!" Anna controlled herself from squealing in excitement as she sat in her carriage before Jack and Elsa. "This is the way heading to the Summer Valley, and I have initiated a construction for two vacation palaces…"

"Palaces?" Elsa asked curiously at Anna.

"Yes, two vacation palaces, both for my family and yours, Elsa. Think of it as an overdue wedding present to you from me, so that you and Jack, plus my would-be nephew and niece will be coming here as often in Arendelle."

"Anna, this is too much." Elsa replied gratefully.

"No, you don't need to thank me…" Anna stopped talking to her platinum blonde sister, tapped the carriage to stop when seeing a familiar sight of Kristoff in a sleigh pulled by Sven, except that her husband was not alone but with their firstborn son, Ellard. "K-Kristoff…Ellard…?!" She viewed their sleigh was distancing and heading to the other side of town, instructed loudly at the driver of the carriage to follow her husband and son.

Viewing her husband and son left the sleigh, the queen glanced at them who entered and stood before a well-known fencing school as they conversed with its mentor.

"Your highness, you know I cannot accept you back, even after hearing your apology. The queen had refused me to teach you …" His former sword master was frowning and closing his fencing school, but he halted when Kristoff lost patience, pushed rudely the sword master inside.

"Please! Listen to my son! He just lowered himself to you, apologizing the way my wife, Queen Anna, had humiliated your reputation!"

"I told you again, royal consort to the queen, my apologies too, but it is over for me."

"Is this it?! You just close your school and call it quits?! How could it be over to you just like this?! What do you want?! Money, gold, precious stones, or land, just tell me, but please allow my son to return back to your school! Teach him please…" Kristoff stopped conversing with the sword master when they heard Anna's bewildered voice.

"Kristoff? Ellard? What are you doing here?! I thought this school was already closed!"

"I am closing my school, your majesty."

The prince drew near his mother, bowed down immediately. "No, please, don't allow him to close his school. Please, return back his honored reputation, mother, since I have no teacher to teach me with the sword as effective as he has."

"Ellard…"Anna whispered her son's name while Elsa and Jack remained watching in silence at the side.

"I failed the sword matches yesterday but it doesn't mean it is his fault, it was my fault. I haven't discipline myself enough these passed months, I was complacent and overconfident that I knew everything." Ellard's eyes shifted at Jack who gave a relief look that the boy was intelligent enough to get what he said about humility by knowing his limits, weakness and mistakes. "Please, help me correct that mistake."

"You heard my son, the prince, had said, sword master. "Anna relaxed her stiffed held high face, gave an apologetic look too. "He wants your school be open again, and he would like to be your student once more," She eased herself. "Could you accept your queen's apology, I will return back your honored reputation, by money, gold…" She ceased speaking when the sword master did not moved, remained bowing low at her.

"My queen, I am very humbled by this extraordinary moment indeed, but for returning my honored reputation back as a swordsman is not through money, gold, land, or wealth." He paused for a moment. "I have also accepted the prince's and your apologies. But I am an old traditionalist, your majesty, I am a warrior at the beginning with the privilege to teach, but still a warrior." He did not continue when Ellard knew what that meant.

Anna eyed her son to ask what the sword master's words meant.

"He means that to have his honor back, it should be the way which warriors do - it is by fights provided by the old laws of Arendelle's warrior class. He is still closing his fencing school unless someone challenges him and defeats him." The boy almost stepped forward, but his father shouted at the swordsman.

"Then fight me!"

"Father?! You do not know how to use a sword?!"

"And allow you who is too young?! The old law of warriors about chivalry does not allow that." Kristoff surprised Anna who dissented.

"No! You are not even included Kristoff, you are no warrior that makes the fight void to begin with, but I, I know the ways, I was taught by knights!"

"Are you crazy, feisty pants, you are queen and my wife, I refuse you from taking part!"

"Kristoff?!"Anna glared angrily at Kristoff. "I can handle it myself!"Her fiery emotions exploded furthermore, this time she straightened her back in an authoritative way, reminding him who she is. "How dare you argue with me right now in front of everyone, I am your beloved wife, the Queen of Arendelle!"

"Your husband's right, Anna," Elsa whispered audibly, grabbed a nearby sword on the sword rack hanging on the wall near her but she was blocked by her husband. "J-Jack?! Move aside, I know how to fight with the sword."

"Of course, I remembered, Elsa, I know you were trained with Emily Jane under Lord High General Kozmotis Pitchiner's tutelage, and I am fully aware you are highly skilled with the sword." Jack's hand moved slowly on Elsa's hand and took the sword from her hand, then placed it into his hand. "Trust me, let me do this, please."

"Jack…" Elsa stepped back and nodded slightly at Jack who moved at the center, facing the sword master who unsheathed his sword and gave a fighting stance while Jack remained calm and standing with the lowered sword at hand.

After a couple of minutes, they confronted and attacked each other with their steels, there was a clear victor who made everyone astonished in disbelief of seeing the shortest sword fight they have ever seen. Three clashes were just only heard, and it was over with Jack who was standing at the other side while the opponent fell down on the floor in shock and defeat. The sword master had no choice, but abide to the queen's apology and prince's wishes.

Shocked, Anna remained standing beside her son. Ellard knew both his father and mother haven't seen the fast three strikes of the blades unlike he did.

First strike, was a defensive block; second, was a counter that cut the sword master's blade into half; and third, a strike to defeat the opponent down by using the blunt side of the blade. Jack threw away the sword from his hand after the fight, ignored Kristoff shouting like a lunatic in awe that it was the most amazing fight he ever saw in his entire life.

Jack did not lift his blue eyes at motionless Elsa who was the most surprised of them all, because she never seen him fight like that at all. He had sensed that she was viewing him, hoping she will never view him as a stranger that moment, and he does not like it. It brought too much unpleasant memories and emotions of the pasts which he left behind in Niflheim.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Ghosts in the Cold Mists –

Kristoff's and Ellard's shouts of jubilations in witnessing Jack's impressive sword fight were interrupted suddenly by the sound of the hurried push of the fencing school's door that opened. The royal servant from the grand palace of Arendelle rushed hastily inside.

Kneeling and bowing before the strawberry blonde haired queen whose smile faded as the air of joy turned into dread when she viewed the servant's paled face and anxious looks in front of her and the rest of her family.

"Your majesty, your royal children, the princes and the princesses, they have disappeared from the palace grounds where they were playing for a couple of minutes, until the royal guards and servants found them in the same royal gardens near the fountains. They found Prince Anselm badly injured, while Princess Kristen gravely ill without reason and was lying unconscious, and Princess Emma was traumatized muted….but Prince Axel soon vanished before their eyes."

"M-My children?! What happened to them?" Kristoff lost his entire composure, drew near the servant who lowered sorrowfully his head.

"We have no idea, my lord. The royal council of Arendelle's wisest advisors were called, so were the distinguished doctors and healers in all the land…"

Anna clenched her hands firmly by her sides, trying to hold her regal self as the queen while tears gathered in her eyes filled with fear and worry for her children. She almost hurried outside towards her horses-drawn royal carriage to return to the palace without waiting for the rest of her family.

"Anna!" Kristoff dashed to chase his distraught wife as both of them halted when the sword master started laughing in a twisted depraved manner that send chills running down on Kristoff's spine. Anna ceased walking away, turned bravely towards the sword master who convulsed. He remained struggling to fight back, but whatever had taken over him was undeniably powerful and not mortal at all. He ended up laughing boisterously again and raised himself up with his eyes, glaring at them, particularly at Jack.

"Are you really sure you've taken the right decision? Protecting these hopelessly dumb and weak mortals whom you presently accepted as your new family? Because the last time in Niflheim, you failed to protect your own family, which includes your father, your mother, your brothers, and your little sister. And now, you are going to fail to protect these people because you turned into someone who you weren't. Really missed the old cold-hearted you…"

Anna stepped forward and almost demanded the one possessing the sword master, but she was suddenly thrown and pinned telekinetically against the far upper wall of the fencing hall, forcing the platinum blonde to reply back with her icy powers but it was blocked by Jack. Shocked, her blue eyes glanced at her husband who stood protectively before her, blocked and absorbed her ice blasts, then he returned to face and confront the sword master.

"Have no one had any respect anymore?! I am still talking here?!"The possessed sword master shouted arrogantly with his arms outstretched as he intimidates and challenges. "You should have allowed your woman to have a chance to fight me, then, Ragnarök will begin, and everything here in her world and universe will be gone. But you will not allow that. Because now, you are with her." Giving out an insane smile, he spoke further in his flair of distinct theatrical drama. "You know, I loved conflicts so much. It's much more exciting and fun than peace, which is damn too boring and dumb. And I remembered, Jack, how much you were so like me - we bring chaos, mayhem, and mischief. But what could I say, you are very clever to know me well, my best prodigy, that you decided by out of respect to confront me in the way you really once was - my true descendant from Niflheim. Ah, you should have remained holding that sword earlier on your hands, and killed this mortal vessel whom I'm controlling. A mortal life isn't worth any value…" He paused for a moment, waited for the white haired immortal to reply him back, hoping he will agree with him.

"Their souls and spirits have great value, and it is through their thoughts, words, and deeds, Loki, and you know that…"

Kristoff widened his brown eyes upon hearing Jack spoke the name of the god of cunning and mischief. Glancing at the sword master being possessed by the known powerful Norse god, the blond haired ice deliverer felt his knees weakened upon realizing two powerful deities before him, stood at the sides listening with his son, Ellard, beside him.

"These mortals will bring the waves of changes in the universe, and will be forever remembered throughout time…?!" Loki gave a devious look and a mocking smile at his descendant. "You believed in them?!" Bellowing a laughter, the god of mischief scoffed off. "You really turned out a fool! Just because Freyja's special descendant, who was originally a mortal, decided to spread her legs before you and allowed you to countlessly penetrate her?! And now, you call that love?!" Loki's focused his eyes at Jack, ceased laughing abruptly with his blunt and vulgar insults. "Love is an illusion! A mere word used for bondage in order to control. And that word became an emotion, a power used by Freyja of Vanir and her descendants which included your dear Elsa." His voice became intensely serious. "What would I do to convince you, Jack, to let you see, that whatever you do, you cannot escape what you have left behind and what is fated for you, whether you like it or not, you cannot move on with her and her family…"

The somber bringer of winter frowned, sensing the First Age immortal gave him an obvious warning. "You can convince me by freeing the Queen of Arendelle from your powers. Besides, killing her would gain you nothing."

"But if I kill this Queen Anna of Arendelle, surely, there will be a conflict. Not only to her family, especially your beloved Elsa, but within yourself too, Jack…"

Loki did not ended his taunting statement when the temperature dropped in a menacing manner while frosts and ice spread and spiked across the entire fencing hall moving to the center, particularly at Loki who gave a dark amused laughter.

"Kill her, and I make sure you lose your power of influence and hold on me…" Jack lifted his blue eyes directly at Loki, narrowing his eyes into a glare at his godly kin. "You don't like that, don't you? I completely siding with your most formidable opponent, Thor, and making him more powerful than you."

Loki's face drastically changed. Threatened, he immediately ceased his laughter as his crazed smile faded at the same time he had let go of Anna, spoke annoyed. "Fine, I do not want this mortal cunt who is not even within my standards of desired beauty, which really surprised me – how did she ended in Freyja's bloodline of ravishing beautiful bitches and whores, mutation perhaps?!"

Elsa summoned quickly her cold winds to prevent Anna from falling, allowing Kristoff to catch his strawberry blonde haired wife.

"And her royal children…" Jack added.

Loki replied him with his eyes glowing. "I have nothing to do with the royal quim's children. But I assure you, I will enjoy watching at the sides, as always, especially regarding you and your dear Elsa." The god of mischief spoke, leaving entirely the possessed mortal who he had used as his temporary vessel. The sword master rasped for air, having complete control of his own self again as a powerful force of a deity left him and shifted into a strong rush of a raging black, red and green blaze of gigantic icy fire that shot out and disappeared.

* * *

As soon as they reached and entered the palace, Anna hastened to open the door and drew inside her children's rooms where a group of awaiting royal servants, guards and medical experts met with their queen.

After having a glimpse of Anna talking with the advisors and doctors, the platinum blonde eyed her sister who lowered her eyes filled with anxiety. Drawing near her younger sister who could not stay being prim and proper as a reigning monarch, emotionally breaks down, crying before Elsa who took Anna in her arms.

"They said Anselm will recover from his wounds, and will soon wake up. But, they are not sure about Kristen. The doctors told me that she seemed to have been poisoned, and that they have administered an antidote, saving her. They recommended that she continue taking with her medicines, and eventually she will be cured. And Emma's alive and yet she's doesn't speak and move, and Axel's gone away to where I don't know …"Tears streamed profusely down from Anna's cheeks. "…my children and they didn't even know who have done this to them…"

Her elder sister glanced her husband who eyed her back, then nodded at Elsa. Whispering at her sister, she assured Anna that she will do everything she can with Jack to save their nieces and nephews.

* * *

His platinum blonde wife had told him that they will meet here in the royal gardens near the fountains, the last place where their nephews and nieces were last seen.

The white haired and blue eyed bringer of winter looked down after inspecting the grounds to retrace every clue from a broken twig of a nearby rose shrub to a group of fallen leaves from the garden trees. He kneeled down his right knee on the ground and placed slowly his right hand on the grassy ground when seeing traces and clues as he deduced what had occurred, as images re-enacted within his mind, seeing the royal children playing while the servants and guards were watching protectively nearby. Unexpectedly, a soft breeze swirled and whispered around Jack who briefly closed his eyes, focusing and absorbing the voices of Anna's and Kristoff's children during that particular tragic event. Sensing he wasn't alone anymore, Jack summoned silently the breeze to disappear.

Lifting his eyes, Jack viewed Elsa approaching him as she carried a couple of leather bound books that she taken from the royal library.

"So what do you got so far?" His blue eyed wife asked, lowering the thick books from her arms and placing them on the nearby fountain.

"The children were playing here with their game of hide and seek. Prince Anselm gotten impatient, did not finished counting, had left this tree, and Princess Kristen complained…" He paused and eyed his wife who closed briefly her eyes, summoned her snow magic to feel the surroundings, unaware that she was using partly her inherited power from her Snaer bloodline.

Elsa opened her eyes and spoke. "…and there was almost an argument between the siblings, but peace-loving Prince Axel intruded crying, wanted no fights from his impulsive brother and feisty sister while their youngest sibling, cheerful Princess Emma seemed distracted." Pointing her hand on a particular tree, the platinum blonde whispered. "She had seen shadows, then a clear day turned clouded as vines sprang forth from nowhere. At first, the vines of ivy tried to grab hold of them all, but her elder blond haired brother, Anselm, fought hard, he was badly wounded but had freed Kristen in the process. She sprinted away and tried to shout for help but was hit by poisonous thorns embedded in her skin. Feeling ill, she lost consciousness. She fell down on the ground. Over there…"

"…and she was unaware that she pulled down the shield of illusions away…"

"Shield of illusions?" Facing her husband, she almost grab hold one of the old books of her royal family but Jack replied her immediately before she could find out what those certain new words he muttered meant.

"It's a magic spell used by my father's house from Loki's line. Just like a shield or cloak, it prevents anyone outside from a certain perimeter to see what's really happening. It's used as a cover to abduct or to assassinate, and the illusions can ranged into anything which the caster of the spell had absolute control."

"And the moment, Kristen fell, she was outside that designated perimeter, it made the invisibility fade, and the royal guards and servants were able to see them again."

Jack tilted his head and paced a few steps away from Elsa, stopped near a designated place. "However, the group of abductees didn't realize that the tide had turned against them. Instead of having possession of all of the children, something unexpected fought back against them. They are after all not in their own domain, but the lands of an opposing house who long fled Niflheim and sworn war against the other two great houses."

"My ancestors…" Elsa muttered. "They were still watching and guarding us in Arendelle…even beyond their graves…"

"Draugr." Her white haired husband frowned.

"…the undead…" Elsa whispering in dread after opening the book in her hands, widened her eyes while she read in silence an information about the draugr.

_Even though they were protecting them, there will always be consequences when the undead remained away from their graves, they will be bringing death, sickness, madness, and even bad fortune to the lands and their living descendants which they were intending to protect. _

Contemplating, Elsa realized the reason Princess Emma had gone petrified and traumatized, the little girl had saw the draugr, her own ancestors of Arendelle, as the consequences of seeing the draugr had brought down overpowering fear into the queen's daughter.

* * *

Noticing Jack hesitated when he almost drew near the doors of the children's room, he held her hand preventing her to draw near the door for her to come inside. Elsa eyed questioningly her husband. She remained observing him who coolly strategizing their next course of actions with unusual calculating caution, making Elsa gazed at Jack who was revealing another different side of him.

"We can't come in, especially me…" Replying her in his lowered calm voice, the bringer of winter remained vigilant while sensing something else out of the ordinary. "If we enter inside, it means a confrontation against them." The bringer of winter whispered under his breathe with regret. "I shouldn't be here with you. You and your family are in danger because of me. Now, they're caught in the middle…"

"Middle?! Of what?!" Echoing his last word, Elsa held Jack's hand before he almost leave, not wanting anyone harmed or dead, especially Anna's children who were innocent. And the turn of such events seemed to trigger particular memories inside the mind of the tousled white haired immortal who seemed to relive his pasts. He lifted his blue eyes and viewed briefly his own reflection in the window glass, while recalling Loki's voice reminding him of his dark past.

_"__Because the last time in Niflheim, you failed to protect your own family, which includes your father, your mother, your brothers, and your little sister, and you are going to fail to protect these people because you turned into someone who you weren't."_

Jack closed his eyes instantly, gave a deep breath, pulled his hand away from Elsa, and then he moved a step away to leave, but suddenly, after feigning his reluctance to act, he gave a turn, facing the door and throwing his materialized wooden staff inside before mentally summoning powerful winter winds that threw out concealed beings around him and Elsa.

His staff inside the royal children's room, created frosts and ice, encasing a group of draugr. He entered the royal chambers with Elsa, spoke in his native tongue at Elsa's ancestors.

"I've flung them out of your own grounds where your graves remained in peace for years. Release the queen's children, they're your own flesh and blood."

"Will we believe you to honor your word?!" One of the undead creatures snapped back at Jack in ancient Norse. "You from the bloodlines of Thor and Loki, two great houses that we, the Snaer, descendants of Freyja, sworn against!"

"To bring back your peace, I'll leave your lands that only you and your descendants will stay alive and well."

The platinum blonde stunned upon hearing him, viewed Jack grabbed hold of his frosted staff, did not faced or eyed Elsa, as he flew away without a word at her.

Upon seeing him leave, Elsa hurried to follow Jack, only to be blocked by Drifa.

"Elsa, what are you doing?" The ghost eyed her in concern. "You are of Arendelle…you are meant to be here in this place where we all call home."

"Jack…" She emotionally cried out his name while her tears continue to fall passed her cheeks.

"He had decided to leave. You must remain here with us, your past and present family…."

Elsa spoke back firmly at Drifa with words coming straight from her heart, lifting her clenched right hand near her heart and giving a look of defiance and conviction. "Jack is my family too - my destined future!"

Drifa's eyes slowly widened in disbelief upon hearing Elsa, remained speechless and motionless at her descendant. Ignoring Drifa before her, she run passed by Drifa towards the balcony, creating immediately a long and winding ice stairs towards the fjords. As soon as she stepped on the waters of the fjords, it froze, allowing her to cross to the other side while continuing to follow Jack who was flying towards the Northern Mountain.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 - The Cold Brutal Confrontations in the Northern Mountain –

_What am I doing?! I can't just leave her?!Even if…_

Jack began scolding himself, halted from further flying, decided to return back but halted contemplating upon hearing her calling his name. Knowing how much he regretted what he had just done earlier and was unable to keep on ignoring her, he then swooped down and grabbed hold of Elsa before he landed them on the summit of the Northern Mountain.

The bringer of winter remained embracing her, continued to whisper repeatedly his apologies to her for making her cry, did not realized that his own blue eyes misted with tears, sensing he was almost an idiot for losing her back there. Pulling himself away from their embrace, Jack pressed his forehead against her forehead, and then he leaned his face towards her face to kiss her.

Both of them had no idea how long they were being watched as Elsa stopped replying back Jack's long passionate kisses when sensing hundreds of tiny eyes were staring at them while the space around them turned out unexpectedly crowded.

Jack halted kissing Elsa when feeling her lips had stopped kissing him back, moved slightly away from his platinum blonde wife whose blue eyes stared flabbergasted at the familiar snowgies who were crowded around, remained watching them.

"Jack…" Her face blushed with awkwardness.

"Wow, I know…they are your "snow boogers"…but even so, they are amazing…." Chuckling, Jack's surprised look turned amused. He stepped away from his embarrassed wife. "The rest of my children …" Jack smiled widely in mischief, bending down as the tiny playful and rambunctious snowmen were drawing near, climbing on him, and smiling widely back at Jack as if they acknowledged and recognized him as their own father.

Elsa's face began to turn scarlet when her eyes focused at Jack playing with the snowgies which he viewed them so special and beautiful just like her who created them with distinct personalities.

* * *

After playing with them for hours, Jack asked the snowgies who crowded and carried him and Elsa. "So, where are we going?!" The snowgies ceased moving as they stopped in a certain place, then leaving their parents to have their own privacy.

Elsa moved away from Jack, stared at her ice palace, while she held briefly a huge icy boulder outside and whispered softly to it that she and Jack would like to stay for a while.

"Is something wrong?"

She heard Jack asked her after he greeted the same huge white boulder by touching it and whispering Marshmallow's name at the same time the ice and snow giant remained calm in his camouflage form while he guarded outside the ice palace as an enormous boulder of snow.

"I remembered running away after my coronation day when things got awry between me and Anna. I came here in this mountain to build this ice palace, which you now see before you. I've isolated myself, I was bottling all my emotions of fear and anger, and I was protecting Anna from me." Her eyes moved to glance back at him who attentively listened and then replied gently at her.

"Running away would never help you, nor would solve your troubles." He paused for a brief moment, sympathizing with her, as if he once experienced past pains and loneliness as she was. "You think, pulling yourself away from other people is a way of fixing things, but it doesn't. The more you isolate yourself the worse it becomes, your ice powers will keep on spiraling out of control. When your powers goes out of control, everything turns upside down, and you don't want to be with the people you care about. Because you might hurt them. But you cannot run away from the people who love you because in the end they are the only ones who can help you."

Her emotional blue eyes intensely meet his as she spoke again, still recalling her pasts. "I never realized before my powers are tied with my emotions. The reason I've hurt my sister, Anna, was I was trying so hard not to hurt her again." Her eyelids fluttered while speaking out her realizations to him. "My father and mother, they are merely human and they made mistakes. They misinterpreted Grand Pabbie's words. I think if they see me today, they will never ask me to give up a part of myself."

"Elsa, not only your powers make you special…" Jack gave his known breath-taking beautiful smile at her, replied her with his sincere words revealing his retained innocence of his real love towards her. "…And I wouldn't want you in any other way." His last words made her heart pounded loudly inside of her while the sudden heat was spreading across her face.

Flustered and embarrassed, Elsa tried to be optimistic and cheerful but all she could manage was a sincere and demure smile coupled with a resounding blush. She almost turned away, in slight panic, hoping for some distraction from the way she could feel her pulse wedged against her throat, forcing out her words as she returned being composed and calm before him. "But that does not matter anymore now, it was the past and we have to keep moving forward." Lifting her blue eyes and eyeing Jack, she walked on her ice bridge to cross over while Jack floated and followed her close by.

Agreeing with her, he answered her back. "And currently, we are in the present, that means we have to enjoy this moment, don't we?!" Jack returned to being his light-hearted self, flew passed Elsa and swirled high above and around in fascination at her magnificent creation before them. "Wooohooo! You've built this palace! It's so awesome!" Excitedly, Jack flew speedily around her ice palace, inspecting the perfectly built ice structure. He landed beside Elsa, whispered near her ear, this time not only glancing at the ice palace but its creator. "And flawlessly beautiful! I think your ice palace is a great home for our family, don't you think Elsa?"

She felt her entire body stopped. Her heart was entirely controlling her that moment, she could never deny it any longer- how she truly so much love him.

Caressing his face and kissing him before she held his hand and guided him inside her ice palace, Elsa turned to face Jack who was so close behind her, whispered lovingly his name before she wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to carry her further inside as they remained kissing each other.

Elsa pulled herself away from Jack, eyeing them in one of the rooms of her ice palace, held out her hand to form their bed. However, Jack held her hand and viewed their entwined fingers, retaining their hands at the direction where Elsa was pointing earlier, forming their bed that surprisingly was not entirely made of ice, frosts and snow. Carrying Elsa on his arms, Jack started to kiss with her again. He placed her gently down on their bed.

The platinum blonde parted her lips from his lips, pulled away from him at the same time he raced slowly his hands down further down from her face. He moved closer towards her, started to shower his kisses on her, and then he took her hand to place her hand on his chest where his heart is- a silent but strong gesture of their love.

Jack was about to kiss her again when suddenly a tremor of something gigantic collapsed outside.

"W-What the…?!"Elsa shocked, viewed Jack pulled away from her. Unable to say a word at his wife who apparently realized how pissed he was, Jack's smile turned upside down into a frown, materialized and clutched his frosted crook shaped staff, then flew immediately away from their bed and headed down towards the ground floor of the ice palace.

* * *

Lowering his staff, he spoke in his native language of Niflheim, knowing they remained concealing themselves, the way the Warriors of Ice would do so. "Listen, I know you are here! You don't need to destroy the big guy outside! And about the other day, I have to throw you out from Arendelle's grounds for everyone's safety including yours!"

The white haired and blue eyed immortal did not continue speaking when countless of airborne weapons including arrows were aimed and fired at him. Leaping, turning and evading the weapons in different angles, he swirled his staff with both hands, creating a deadly blizzard so powerful that the winds formed an inescapable vortex while the same winds carried away whoever had concealed themselves inside the palace. Then, he stepped back slightly and held his hands before the towering doors to focus as the doors turned into an impenetrable ice wall. Realizing he had to do the same to the other doors and windows in the ice palace, Jack visualized and willed the ice palace to be, a place of safety and security. Afterwards, Jack summoned ice, snow, and frosts to form a secured structure to prevent anyone from entering.

_Well, at least that was finished!_

His feelings of relief changed into fear upon hearing her voice and seeing her sight, Jack turned his face towards his wife.

"J- Jack?" I sensed you summoned your powers to create a blizzard?" Moving away from one of the pillars on a higher floor near the stairs, Elsa viewed Jack's eyes reflected distress upon seeing her, she hurried towards him only to view him raised up his hand in front of him, and shouted at someone unseen.

"She's not involved in this!"

Jack did not finished his sentence when another male's voice intervened that shocked Elsa.

"No wonder you don't want to go back home, Jack."

Different set of winds appeared, wrecking everything as Jack hurried towards Elsa, but he was too late when someone else beat him to her.

Feeling deadly winds pulled her towards someone whose arms now held her as a hostage, Elsa viewed an ice blade sprang out towards her neck. She stood motionless and muted in disbelief.

"You have a stunning gorgeous wife, and I never realized you will be married when everyone in our world believed it would only be a distraction. Worst, a weakness. Odd, I remembered you not the kind of man who will settle down, and live a quiet life!" He pressed his face near at Elsa's hair, liking her fragrance. "Anyway, nice to meet you, is your name Elsa?!" he ceased seducing her as he almost licked Elsa on the cheek but she elbowed him, as she was struggling to be free from him. "I like her, feisty and a lot of concealed passion unlike the cold cruel women back home." He halted speaking when his hostage hated to be touched, this time fought harder by forming an ice dagger to wield as a weapon, stabbing him, but he is unlike any mortal, as if he is immune to the pain which she inflicted to him. He retaliated by knocking her down mercilessly and pulling away an icicle-like dagger which Elsa stabbed at the side of his abdomen earlier. The opponent laughed but was punched powerfully by Jack, making him laughed more in twisted amusement when feeling his mouth cracked bleeding. "That is what I am looking forward to! A fight with you, Jack!" He did not continued his apparent challenge for a duel when Jack summoned his strongest winds to storm against him. The bringer of winter dashed towards Elsa who struggled up to her feet and readied to fight back the enemy without any hint of surrender, but Jack took hold of her, flying off towards the highest level of her ice palace for her safety.

As soon as they landed on the highest and safest part of her ice palace, Elsa questioned him. "Who is that?!"

"Someone from my past, "Jack replied honestly, and then waved his hand with a quick winter spell on her in particular as to make the space where she stood safe and secured. "Please stay here and do what I say…"

"No! I am not just staying here and do what you suggest?! I will fight with you against him!"

"Well, not now, honey."

"You think I am a distraction to you?!"

"You are more than a distraction to me, Elsa!" he whispered honestly at her before he leaped down to confront the enemy below who remained countering his wintery winds. Jack summoned away his stormy winds as he was prepared to face his adversary since Elsa was far high above.

His words did not made her furious, it was more like a compliment to her.

As she decided to help her husband fight against the enemy, she almost headed down the stairs only to be blocked by someone else that surprised Elsa when the hooded elder man materialized from nowhere and gestured her not to interfere.

"This fight is between him and Spike alone. No one is to interfere, otherwise, it will not be honorable amongst the best warriors of Niflheim."

"Warriors?" Elsa questioningly echoed. "What do you want with Jack anyway?!"

"My apologies. Forget to introduce myself to you, Elsa of Arendelle. I am Hail, your husband's imperial guard." The hooded and cloaked man with cobalt blue eyes bowed politely at her. "And I am here to bring my King back to his home realm whether he likes it or not."

"Your king?!" She muttered, but calmed herself back. "W-wait, y-you're the messenger who sent that encrypted message." The platinum blonde widened her eyes in alarm, stepping back while Hail pulled away his hood, revealing he is.

"Do not worry, I am not here to hurt you." He assured her. "I've sworn to protect his imperial majesty, hence, I've also sworn to protect those important to him too." Moving his cobalt blue eyes back below where Jack and Spike were preparing to do battle, the middle-aged Warrior of Ice spoke to Elsa again. "You don't have to worry about your aunt, Ingrid. She is safe in our realm."

"How about Baby Tooth?! You meant her harm!"

"If I meant her harm, then I had easily killed the insignificant tooth fairy without the possibility for you to revive her, but at least, his majesty had taken it seriously, if not, he should never been here with you in your own world."

No wonder, these passed days Jack acted so different, he presented himself before Loki with authoritative power but also with cold viciousness, and Elsa could never forget how he acted the complete opposite of the one who she had fallen deeply in love with.

"How about him?" Elsa's blue eyes shifted from Spike and then back to Hail. "He is "the force to be reckoned with" in case Jack's reply to you was unacceptable, which is why he came into the picture to do such…"

"…intimidation…" Hail's eyes flashed with interest upon hearing out Elsa's quick analysis of the situation.

"And for Jack who might refuse your request, he had to challenge him in a duel since you retained loyalty to Jack as his imperial guard, and he used intimidation by taking me as hostage, provoking Jack, not just to fight but to take an advantage against him."

"Impressive." Hail replied her, stroking his short white beard with his hand, marveling at her, because that was what he and Spike planned. No wonder his imperial majesty Frost had deeply fallen in love with this Elsa, who is no shallow and dumb woman. He ignored Elsa who shouted at Jack below.

"Jack, stay strong! Don't let him win!"

Jack's blue eyes rolled slightly up at Elsa, expected Spike to attack since the opponent will be thinking he was distracted. He blocked quickly Spike who punched him with his ice blades which formed and sprouted from his knuckles at the same time Jack created thick and indestructible frosts in his arms to form as protective arm guards before it transformed into matching icy blades.

"You should have chained down your fucking bitch in her place to keep her silent!" The spiky blue and white haired Warrior of Ice sneered, his bluish gray eyes focused at the bringer of winter as the heavily built elite warrior smugly tries to intimidate Jack further.

"I'm not going with you and Hail. I'm staying here."

"Oh, really, let me knock some sense to you so you will go back to your old cold self!" Spike gave a confident look and a smirk at his opponent, knowing Jack's long been here in Midgard, had grown empathetic and warm-hearted, unfortunately turning more into a good compassionate human being. Apparently, his friend, Jack looked and acted very different unlike Spike remembered long ago. "Let's me start with your dear Elsa!"

"I will kill you if you do so!" Noticing his adversary's debauched look, Jack narrowed his blue eyes into a glare, kicked Spike who laughed loudly after being pushed towards the other side. The adversary pierced his blade on the floor to stop him from reaching the wall.

"Your stay here surely made you weak, Jack!" He kneeled and then he punched the ice palace's floor that cracked powerfully, hoping Jack will fall but he flew and floated mid-air which Spike was expecting for, outstretching his arms to summon one powerful ice blast at his enemy.

Jack reacted immediately by blocking the other's force and throwing his force back to Spike again, this time merging it with his own attack, making it into several deadly ice lightning blasts instead. Spike dodged instantly from Jack's icy lightning attacks from his summoned winter thunderstorm, laughed annoyingly when he evaded the last ice blast.

"You always amaze me, Jack, being creative, just like the thing you did with your woman's ice palace to make it impenetrable, except it was a waste of time and energy for you to do so since I and Hail were unlike the others who could be carried away by your blizzard! Overall, this fight is not good enough for you to win…" Spike ceased boasting as the wall crumbled like a snow avalanche down on him, except it is no ordinary avalanche, he was not only toppled but he was imprisoned inside.

"What were you're sayin' again?" Jack landed in front of the defeated Spike who could not believe Jack outsmarted him. Imitating Spike's arrogance, he spoke. "I give you a hint- this ice is not ordinary, it's impenetrable." Jack taunted at his opponent who tried angrily to free himself but to no avail, revealing that he was more brawns than brains. "You will never escape that prison of yours until you and Hail above there had accepted that I have won and will have to respect my wish - that you will never bother us anymore." Spike gave his last strongest punch but his cage never crumble, had kept him trapped inside. He had no choice, kneeled down and bowed slowly before Jack as to abide to the other's wish.

Eyeing Hail lowered his head to accept Spike's loss and to abide with his majesty's wish, Jack's eyes shifted when seeing Elsa climbed down the stairs and drew near him who embraced her before flying her away from her crumbling ice palace.

"Sorry about your ice palace …"

"It does not matter, as long as you are alright." Replying Jack, she pressed her face closer to his face after they embraced. "Besides, I could always build an ice palace…anytime and anywhere…"

Viewing Spike freed while Hail appeared, standing beside the defeated Warrior of Ice, they flew farther in the distance high above the skies after Jack summoned winds to speed them up to return them back to their isolated home, their own dimensional domain.

* * *

As they flew with the powerful winds, distancing away from the crumbling ice palace by passing by the nearby snow-covered towering trees of the Northern Mountain's vast woods, Jack noticed keenly something. He dodged immediately a hidden trap only to be ensnared by another deceitful trap that wrapped around Elsa's ankle, causing them both to separate and to fall.

Creating snow to cushion their fall, Elsa viewed Jack blasted icy sharp winds to free them both, before he darted instantly back towards her, wrapping protectively his arms around her, and taking the full crushing impact of their fall.

As soon as they fell on the snowy ground, tendrils of ivy with red hollies spawned and crept speedily towards them to hold them captive but the platinum blonde summoned instantly a protective orb-like icy shield around her and Jack.

"Jack, are you alright?" She glanced briefly at her husband, spoke with a twinge of annoyance. "Why would they just leave us alone?!"

"Haven't broken my back yet, Elsa, but everything's fine. Damn it! They haven't completely accept their defeat! " Replying her, Jack's royal blue eyes glanced at her in concern when noticing and realizing his wife had difficulty of standing up, had broken her ankle.

He was about to drew near to carry her, but Elsa advised him not to carry her. Her voice trembled with rising anger and fearsome vengeance, she was clearly ready for an all-out fight, knowing and sensing that the one who ambushed them with traps was the culprit who poisoned her niece, and almost abducted her sister's other children. "You don't have to, Jack! Let me take care of this. Rest assure, my ankle will gradually heal. I am after all your wife who shares your immortality." Her blue eyes gave a serious and determined look that this time she fights. She calmly walked away from him to confront her chosen opponent to fight. "This one's mine!"

Never seeing her like this before, Jack stunned, fall into motionless silence when her furious winds destroyed her own protective shield, blowing away and tearing apart the lethal ivy with hollies that burst into gaseous poison fumes. Her ferocious winds carried the fumes away, turned into a devastating icy cyclone that stormed towards where the tendrils of the ivy came from which was somewhere in the woods, while making someone who was long hidden to run away.

"Wait! We surrender!" Shouting at Elsa who raised her outstretched hand commanding the snow from the ground to hold captive the strange-looking creature with brown fur.

"I'll stop if you stop!" Elsa glared and frowned at the human-like Groundhog while Jack glanced at him, familiar with the Groundhog, and realizing that it's a trick to distract, shouted at Elsa to look out.

Ignoring the pain throbbing at her broken ankle, the platinum blonde evaded when she was almost being whipped by the attacker who pulled back her whips of poison ivy, then almost throws her poisonous red hollies towards Elsa. But the other woman was quicker. Elsa shot out ice daggers as an offensive attack and then combined it with her whipping cold winds, before she created a pair of ice swords in her hands, attacked the wavy white haired girl. Elsa slashed the whips of ivy into shreds, controlled herself from stabbing the opponent's face as the defeated enemy stood dumbfounded and amazed at her.

Shoving his awe at his wife, Jack held out his hand and froze the Groundhog's arms and hands who almost held something. "Oh, no, you don't, Pete! And no more tricks from you and Holly!" He drew near Elsa who lowered and thawed away her weapons since it is clear who the victor is.

"Well, how do you know, you still remembered us after all those long centuries!" The Prussian blue- eyed sixteen- year- old girl gestured and gave a flirty look at Jack, stepped away from Elsa who narrowed her blue eyes and shot ice that turned into furious-looking spikes across the snow covered ground when Holly almost drew near, teasing with a puckered lips towards Jack. "Oh, my, she's not only pretty, she's a very fiery jealous one under that reserved coldness! I like that so much!" Holly smiled widely while Elsa's eyes twitched upon hearing Holly. She held out her hand towards Elsa to befriend her with an intention to be more than an acquaintance, but Jack moved before Elsa and shoved Holly's hand away from Elsa who noticed her Jack was disturbed and not amused. "And aren't you the over possessive type just because you're married to her?! Seriously, you've stayed too long here in Earth, you've now can't take a joke from me. Well, just make sure you hold on to your Elsa as long as you can, Jack!" She gave a wide annoying grin at Jack.

"Holly, you're being awfully rude!" Pete complained as the ice melted away from his fur through a crystal-like devise he held. He drew near Jack, Elsa and Holly. "I apologize for all of this, Elsa of Arendelle, but you are fully aware the reason we did that, and that is to make Jack come back home with us."

"And why is that you want him back?" Elsa remained standing beside Jack.

Pete's face turned grim, did not reply Elsa and did not avert his eyes at Jack as he held out something from his pocket, revealing a torn royal emblem of long ago that made Jack's eyes twitched with emotions which he long kept hidden and suppressed.

"Jack, he's back, and he will never stop until he has the throne, and the infinite powers along with it as the King of Niflheim."

And for the first time in her life, Elsa saw Jack lowered his head and closed his eyes, fell in silent despair.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi my dear readers!

Whoa, a slight improvement indeed, I would like to thank the people who read, followed and liked my stories, especially the new readers. A shout out to High Lady of Winter Court. Thanks very much, it had truly made my last week a lot happier.

Anyway, for my readers, please write a brief review and reaction. About my grammar and spelling, I apologize since English is my second language next to my own native dialect. Would be glad to hear from you. Please don't drown me down in your eternal cold and silent treatment.

Until next week again for the next batch of chapters to post. And if it would greatly improve- the reviews, the likes, and the followings, it will motivate me further to continue with this story, "**The Dark Cold Waters of ****Urðr**** (Destiny)**".

This is triquetratraveler signing off for now.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - The King and Queen of Frost and Snow –

It seemed like forever. Seeing him closed his blue eyes and bowed his head, Elsa almost moved an inch to console depressed Jack who clearly does not want the sudden turn of events that will force him out from his happy and peaceful life with his wife until someone punched violently the god of winter who fell down on the ground.

Hoping it would wake him out and return him back, Spike sneered in absolute denial upon sensing the clear reaction of his best friend and fellow Warrior of Ice. "Tell me that you haven't change! That you are still you - the friend and the leader we looked up to! Letting us all believed that you were dead after the Great Civil War, and all this time you were alive!"

"Spike, stop!" Pete moved between them, while Jack ignored his bruised face, did not fight back, remained not facing anyone of them including his platinum blonde haired wife who hurried by his side. She lowered herself, whispered his name and held his hand near her. "Jack, please, this is a matter of urgency, you have to go with us now! Back to Niflheim, your home…"

"I am not leaving. I am not going back. Besides, this is my home now." Deciding and replying his firm words to them, Jack intertwined his hand on Elsa's hand. "I got everything I always dreamed here." He stood up to his feet so does the platinum blonde beside him.

"J-Jack…?!" Pete shocked, stuttered his name as if he could never believe Jack had greatly changed as their spies informed them. "Jack, did you not just heard what I said earlier…?!"

His royal blue eyes stared below at the distant lowlands of Arendelle, where a sight of a distant shepherd remained pasturing his flocks of sheep. "I don't want to be who you all ask me to be. I don't want to be like my greedy ancestors, or my betrayed father, who all had the throne and the crown, which my brothers all fought among themselves to have and died of. I don't want to pick up the big huge mess my Royal Houses had done with those countless of endless wars. I would gladly trade places with that shepherd and look after his flocks, and have a simple ordinary mortal life, than return back to Niflheim as someone who I am not and will never be!"

"Please, don't be so selfish! How about the people of Niflheim?!" Pete in disbelief upon hearing his words, tried to rationalize at him again. "Don't tell me you just quit?! Because, you can't quit! Even before you came here, it's your damn royal duty and responsibility! You are the Winter Prince, the only heir to the throne! You are meant to be the Winter King of Niflheim! You were supposed to lead us! You once had lead us, Jack. We were victorious battle after battle…"

Jack did not let his friend, the Groundhog, speak further since Pete tried to flatter him with his words this time around. "Look, this is all very flattering, but you don't want me. It's all hard work and deadlines, and now, I'm snowballs and fun times. I'm not your King."

Upon hearing Jack's answer that discouraged them more, Spike kicked angrily the pile of snow on the icy ground before he gave a signature gesture of reverence with his clenched hand on his chest coupled with a bow and kneel before his king and friend, then he stood up and decided to walk away in cold silence.

Pete gave a sad look and sighed before Jack and Elsa. "You sensed that the moment you will return home with us, you will fight again, and that is tantamount of losing what you swore in your new life of happiness and peace here. Jack, please understand that you fought long ago not for death, but you fought for life - that is the reason we, your people and friends, are still alive and free. Everything you have now is the blessing given back to you because of the sacrifice you've gave. It was balanced against how much you've lost that had caused you too much pain and sorrow back then brought by the wars. But everything you have cherished now will never last, because he is back. Do you even think that even if you are far away, living in this new home, that your loved ones will be safe?! You know very well his vengeful hate against you. He will come here with his multitudes of legions of armies in your new home, and he will lay waste this realm which you now hold dear. He will spare no one. Everyone here, including your new family and friends, will die in Midgard, also known as Earth." Then, he gestured formally with his clenched fist hand near his chest, moved back to bow and kneel before Jack, the way they made reverence and honor to their king, and finally leaving Jack after saying his farewell with his remaining companions.

Hearing the truth in Pete's words, Jack slowly let go of his hold on Elsa's hand. He moved a step forward, alarming and troubling Elsa more, prompting her to immediately held her arms around Jack and pressed her face against his back. He lowered his face upon feeling her embrace tightened.

"You're going, aren't you? Since you have no choice…" her blue eyes watered, feeling her stormy emotions long bottled up had burst, breaking her heart. She knew she had to let him go because if it were her, she will do the same thing - she will fight for her family.

"E-Elsa…" Jack reacted by turning around to face her.

She placed desperately her hands on his face as if seeing him for the last time before she gave him a long loving kiss of goodbye. Pulling away from him for moment, she raised up her hands towards his face as to always remember him.

Jack struggled to suppress his emotions, felt his vision misted. He guided Elsa's hands towards his lips as her cupping hands collected his kisses, hoping to absorb everything as he knows he will never return. Moving away from her, Jack forced to turn his back without looking at her again, then he hurriedly drew near Hail who was trailing behind their group.

"Your majesty?!" Hail bowed before the white haired bringer of winter, but halted in his tracks when Holly did not moved an inch from the place where their group confronted Jack and Elsa. The winter sprite had no intention to leave unlike her friends, even if their King had changed his mind for the sake to protect this realm for his loved one and her family. "Holly? Are you coming or not?!"

"I am not coming as long as she's not coming." Her attention remained at Elsa who noticed the wavy white haired immortal's certain look of interest. "Because our Snow Drifter King who wandered the universe, regardless of time and space just to find and be with her." Holly paused for a while before she continued with her words. "Without her, we will never win against our enemy. But with our new queen, the impossible will become possible." She paused and paced towards Elsa. "I know a lot about you. Because of you, the Golden Age came to be. You made the tide turned in favor of the good, because you choose to be of good, and if I am right, you are formidable. You've defeated me earlier, and in my opinion, that was already quite a great feat! She's coming with us, Hail. Besides, we need to recruit the best to join us fight for our cause. And she is the best." Holly gave a wide amusing, at the same time, taunting grin. "Anyway, we aren't so cold hearted snow people as not to allow two people who loved each other be separated. I think our king needs his queen if you know what I mean..." Holly stressed out her last words to prevent Jack from speaking out protectively towards Elsa since they will be going to his realm where every corner lurked danger, and only the strong survived. "I can be her personal guide and guard when were back to our frozen world." Holly smirked, viewed Jack. His face was priceless.

* * *

The platinum blonde halted following them while Jack beside her stopped in his tracks, turned to face his Elsa. "Wait, before we leave, about my aunt, Ingrid, and my nephew, Prince Axel?"

"I cannot believed this?! We are wasting time!" Raising his brow, Spike whispered under his breathe with impatience while Hail moved a step to converse with Elsa about it.

"They are safe." The imperial guard assured her after giving a look at Jack to trust his word about Elsa's two family members.

"Where are they? I promised my sister, Anna, about her son…"

"In Niflheim! And you are delaying us more. Every precious time counts!" Spike snapped with his antagonistic words when Jack moved before Elsa and gave a particular look at Spike to back down and respect her, even if immortals like them considered themselves above than anyone else.

Spike narrowed his blue-gray eyes at Jack, further pulling away his formal and stoic expression as a Warrior of the Ice. "You think you could protect your Elsa just like you protected her, but you failed protecting her back then, Jack…" Ignoring that he was speaking to his king and fellow warrior, Spike's venomous words about a tragic past struck Jack like a dagger. "With the way you are now, so different from who you once were." He retained his eye contact with Jack, giving a look that they both loved the one who they long ago lost - who was Jack's sister. "Just showed how greedy you really are for always thinking only about yourself to be with your Elsa."

"Speak to the King like that and I will force my hand against you, General!" Hail's voice snapped them apart from glaring at each other, almost giving a fighting stance and preparing to do duel to the death but their white haired leader gestured Hail not to fight Spike.

"There's no moment that I've stopped grieving for her…." Spike confessed, lowering his face and gritting his teeth while controlling his emotions from exploding before his best friend. "But you have done everything in your power to save both of us and our realm back then…and I don't blame you for your sister's death…I can't just accept that you were suddenly gone without a trace, and we all thought you were dead after fighting your tyrannical brother. Then, you suddenly left us without even a word of goodbye?! Why?!" Spike did not continue with his words anymore as his eyes coldly shifted from Jack to Elsa, and lingered long at Elsa before he angrily looked and turned away, startling Elsa who noticed Spike seemed to have seen and remembered her before which registered in her mind as absolutely impossible.

Confused, Elsa held her hands near her chest as she watched Spike walked away from Jack who she never noticed before was now struggling from reviving his grief. She drew near him who felt her arms wrapped around his arm. Feeling the darkness lifted a bit, he lifted and rolled his blue eyes towards her.

"Jack…?"

"I'm fine, Elsa." Cracking a sincere smile of assurance, Jack replied her, leaning his head towards her, their foreheads both pressing against each other.

"Ewwww! Yuck! Oh, come on, do you want me to puke with your sweetness, you lovey-dovey love birds!" Holly's loud complaining voice was heard behind them as Pete gave an attentiveness childish look opposite from his friend's humorous disgusting look.

* * *

As the group gathered, Pete held out one of his crystal devices that glowed, and a Celestial Viking ship appeared in mid-air from nowhere. The moment the airborne six winged silvery ice crystal imperial transportation with Niflheim's royal seal in its sails floated in front of them, the hatch opened automatically and a beam to light shone like a ray of stairs materialized.

"Magic, isn't it?!" Holly whispered amused beside at Elsa, pretending to be mystified like the platinum blonde.

"It's not magic, Holly, stop being a jerk by confusing her!" Pete pulled down his dark tinted goggles. "It's science and technology. It's just that we were an older and more advance civilization when it comes to science and technology compared to her own realm. How many times, do I have to point this out to you?!"

"Fine, both magic and science!" Hail massaged his temples like he was having a painful migraine, sighed as if mediating the two of his bickering children when they entered their ship, passing through the crystalized glowing corridors towards the main control room, the bridge.

"Excuse me, there is a big difference between science and magic…and science is way much better since it explains what is needed to be explained with logic and reason…."

"Sure, sure…shut up, know-it-all!" Holly pouted, muttering in annoyance against Pete's absolute admiration of science.

"Of course, I know everything." Pete boasted and gave a cocky wide toothy smile, prided himself of his known higher intelligence among them.

Puffing her cheeks, Holly asked for the heck of questioning her brainy but annoying friend. "Oh, really, then explain to her, how come she could do ice magic like Jack, Spike, and Hail?!"

"Easy, it's her genetics. Her majesty was born that way since she inherited it from her ancestors who once lived in Niflheim since they have the gift of cryokinesis, otherwise known as ice creation and manipulation."

"One last question, fucking genius, when are you going to have the ultimate face off with the Pooka E. Aster Bunnymund to prove who among you two are the biggest airy ego when it comes to know everything?!" After asking, she stuck out her tongue at the Groundhog who snorted as the name of his brainy rival was an insult to his intelligence.

"Pardon, your grace, I know who Sir Bunnymund is to you, but modesty aside, I say I am the most intelligent, that's why the Pooka doesn't like me one bit, aside from being Jack's friend, and an ally to the Winter King." He glanced briefly at Elsa whose smile faded, could never believe her husband's friends are more childish and arrogant than Jack.

Her attention soon changed when Hail greeted the ship that seemed to have a life of its own, switched to full power, and a beam of light showing a navigation hologram of groups of galaxies. Her awestruck blue eyes kept on dazing at the life-like hologram of tiny galaxies.

"Amazing, isn't it? Space - Infinite. And such a wonder, the universe really is. Billions, no countless of stars, made up of solar systems. We're here, the Virgo Supercluster, consisting the Milky Way, your galaxy where your solar system is." Pete pulled out another device from his greasy and oil spluttered black jacket's pocket. He observed Elsa's eyes at the device he was holding. "Oh, this, this is a remote, I used to control the ship, you see, I'm an engineer and an inventor. I have a knack on tinkering and making devices, including this remote, and this royal ship. Anyway, we are heading far North where a designated worm hole is, it's a way for a shorter route to Niflheim…"

"Excuse me," Elsa asked curiously. "…and what is that made of? Glowing crystals just like the trolls have…"

"No, no…these are not crystals. These are made of plasma like material, well in your world, it's like crystal. Since glass if too heavy to carry around, we used this. It's like a monitor, you can see everything with it, and with a touch of a finger or through voice command you could order or command the Entity with its own Intelligence….oh sorry, you don't know about AI, don't you?"

"I suggest you don't tell any irritating nerdy things to the poor girl around, she's more confused than ever!" Holly made a face at Pete whose nostrils flared at Holly's constant mockery at him, not noticing that their ship had entered the worm hole minutes ago while Spike remained navigating the wheel at the same time Hail was dealing with communications back from their realm and talking to Jack who was conversing back to someone in his own personal hexagon shaped crystalized monitor as he sat on the captain's chair in the center of the ship.

"Well, just ignored the rude dirty-mouthed bimbo slob, even if she is our official healer. Anyway, about our destination. It's the Upper Northern Quadrant - the Frost Empire, consisting of a more than a dozen of galaxies. You see the one at the center, that is consisting with rogue planets without any sun but with moons is the Cornice Capital, where our imperial domain is…" He halted speaking, gave a smile at the platinum blonde the moment he realized that they have speedily arrived in their realm. "And here we are. Welcome to Niflheim!"

Her blue eyes rolled away from Pete, glanced and stared at the large crystal in front of them morphing into a huge frosted glass window which opened up to reveal the real sight of Niflheim.

Their surroundings changed from black seas of glinting stars into endless white artic-like scenery – with numerous snow-covered mountains towered with breathtaking waterfalls of fog and mists on each edge of the icy mountains while stunningly ice towering snow blossom trees with cascading frosted jewel-like leaves scattered around the silvery ornate landscape. Then, an amazing sight of a hidden but massive towering glacier kingdom filled with hexagon structured and crystalized homes surrounding an enchanting frozen lake where at its center was the majestic Grand Imperial Palace that stood like a lone glimmering mountain of diamonds with limitless seas of clouds which remained rolling around it.

She could not believe that such an overwhelming beautiful and magnificent place Niflheim is even if it is regarded as the most hostile and dangerous place to be.

"Everyone, prepare yourselves, we are docking." Hail advised them as Pete hurried to his designated place at the side, while Elsa eyed the handful of empty seats beside Holly who leaned to whisper near her.

"A word of advice, Elsa, remained beside your Jack as always. And as much as possible be with him. Don't forget who you really are. Never let him forget who you are to him, and who he is to you. Because you are not in Arendelle anymore, so does he."

With such puzzling words, Elsa's eyes twitched upon hearing Holly's clear words for her to dread.

* * *

As their ship docked, the crystalized roof of the ship opened wide and the entire floor elevated up while Jack stood up from his chair and eyed a familiar snowy owl flew towards Hail but did not perched on Hail's arm, but transformed into his real human form. The shape shifter clenched his fist, bowed and kneeled low before Jack.

"Your majesty, welcome back home." Hail's son, Frain, did not stood up until their king gestured him to rise. "The council of your advisors and generals including your mentor awaits with my brother, Squall. They were waiting in the Imperial Palace with the rest of your people who have long waited for your return." Jack started leaving the ship with Elsa by his side while Hail, Frain and Holly followed next to them while Pete trailed behind with Spike.

Holly as rude as ever but tolerated by her companions and Jack somehow, spoke out. "So any messages?" Battering her eyelashes at Frain who remained stoic and emotionless like a statue. He paced a couple of steps behind Jack, kept his eyes at his king and his beloved queen.

"My messages are only for his majesty."

"Oh, please, love to hear your intelligence gathering which I think are more gossips, you and your Sleet twin brother do by spying around with your shape-shifting skills."

"There's a right time and right place to say such things. For the moment, it is not the right time until the coronation and presentation of the King with his Queen and the meetings regarding the preparations for the War will be held.

"You lifeless cold people sucked big time for being boring!" Holly's shrieked, losing her streak of energetic and excited self, while Pete tried not to laugh boisterously, snickered briefly.

"And tell you everything I know, now that is unfair for my part." Frain became serious and secretive, replied Holly.

"And now, you are so serious to me, you can't even tell the truth to me?!" Holly responded at the messenger-spy.

"If I were you, I will not take everything at face value here." Jack whispered beside Elsa who almost excuse herself to speak up to stop the ruckus between Holly and Frain.

"W-What?! You mean, they are both insulting, lying, and pretending! No wonder you are ignoring them."

"It's called flyting, a verbal duel of exchanged insults, a game between friends here," Jack knew Elsa never had a clue about the attitudes, traditions, and culture of his people in his home realm. "Originally played by the house of my father under the lineage of Loki. It depends how the one initiated it, but Holly is playing it in a mild and friendly way with Frain. He's also known as Freezing Rain, who's my cousin, so is his brother Snow Squall. Both Sleet twins are the sons of Hail, who is my mother's brother…"

"…who came from the lineage of Thor…"

Seeing him nodded with a faint smile at her, Elsa remained stunned at such strange custom until she saw the next transportation awaiting for them with the entire large group of imperial guards who wore the same colored and imperial emblem engraved armor of sky blue, silver, and white like Hail was proudly wearing.

Never ever in her life did she see such fascinating snow creatures, they resembled horses but with wings as their lion-like bodies were covered with very thick silvery white fur and feathers and their heads were like eagles.

_Oh my! Am I dreaming…only these things I have read in my childhood fantasy books?!_

"Have you never seen a snow griffin before? These are royal steeds in Niflheim, my grace. They galloped through the skies just like flying horses of the heavens but they are more tolerable in the cold winter weather and are durable by flying during snowstorms and blizzards." Frain spoke up at Elsa who was speechless, eyed a certain larger griffin with its flashing blue eyes approached near Jack, recognizing his master. Jack saddled immediately, noticed his wife frozen on the ground astounded as everyone else saddled on their own steeds. Knowing that Elsa had none since she was not born in Niflheim, Jack held out his hand towards her.

Without hesitating, the platinum blonde held his hand as he pulled her up to be with him, allowing her to sit in front of him who wrapped her lovingly with his arm while his other hand remained at the reins where her hands are that stunned some of his companions since it is not acceptable in their traditional laws to have someone seated in front of their king because only their king is before or above anyone else.

"This is inconceivable!" Spike whispered intensely while Pete muted in shock. His lips further frowned at the apparent change which he was currently witnessing regarding their friend, fellow warrior and leader. "Not only did he had turned mellow and had human feelings, he is putting his Elsa before him?! When the council will notice him and everyone in the Imperial Court, they will find his leadership questionable?! Worst…"

"…they will find a way to get rid of her in any way possible. They wanted the old Jack Frost back to lead them just like his rigid and powerful conquering predecessors did once to put Niflheim back to its glory." Holly's voice turned serious, replying back Spike who sighed in deep concern.

"Someone like her with a gentle and pure heart might not survive the Capital for days." Hail joined in and stared intensely at Holly. "I expected you strategized your plans to safeguard her well. We cannot jeopardize everything now that we have him back. If he will lose her, we will also lose him."

"You don't have to worry," The wavy white haired girl replied the imperial guard. "I vowed my entire existence to protect our king's beloved snow queen."

* * *

After a couple of minutes of exhilarating ride in the heavens on his snow griffin. Jack commanded his stubborn-headed steed to follow Elsa solely as the griffin hesitated slightly when Elsa tried to slower the speed of his flying. "Did I hear it right? His name is Snowstorm?"

"Yeah," Jack kept on smiling happily at Elsa, observing her who enjoyed such an extraordinary ride in the heavens with him. "But I know what's more thrilling. Care to join me!" He wrapped both arms around her and then dived down suddenly in a dare devil way. Surprised, Elsa screamed with fright until she enjoyed flying with Jack once more, laughing out her head off.

Jack remained holding Elsa, flew near the thick group of clouds for Hail to lose sight of them for minutes, making his imperial guard frantically search for them. And when he caught up with them with his son, Frain, who shape-shifted into a snowy owl, Hail ended up scolding naughty Jack as if his uncle had become his nagging mother.

Pretending to be deaf with Hail's words, he remained smiling wide and laughing with Elsa, reflecting secretly that he would rather fly than ride his griffin since he was yearning of Elsa's arms around him.

"Your majesty, you are king, you must act like one! Not some rebellious spoiled child who wants to play troublesome games like you always had been. Please be as mature as you are expected to be. Be the fearsome and brilliant warrior who once led us into victory…"

Jack cut in, not letting Hail finished since a mischievous idea had popped into his head, getting tired with Hail's scolding words. "Sure, I know, they're all waiting for us in the Grand Imperial Palace. Well, see you all there, the last one will have to dance or sing during dinner in front of the entire court!" After saying such words, Jack smiled like a trickster to fool and annoy his companions. He did not lose a second, accelerated fast through the skies with Elsa in his arms.

Pete, Holly and Spike cursed out in unison since the three of them clearly could never fly. Hail unsaddled from his griffin, flew just like Jack in ease while Frain retained in his owl form flopped his wings as fast as he could.

* * *

It was less than a couple of minutes when Elsa viewed the Grand Imperial Palace, she saw Jack's smile faded instantly. It was like a place he does not want to be but he had to be. Viewing their feet touch the uppermost balcony of the Grand Imperial Palace in Cornice Capital, Jack eyed the towering white thick doors embedded with diamonds, silver and ivory before them.

"Jack…"Elsa's voice whispered in concern beside him after they pulled away from each other. "Are you sure about this?"

"I had to, Elsa." Replying her, he gave a deep breath and moved towards the door until she spoke again before he held the ice crystal door knobs. "There will be no home, no Arendelle, no Earth, if I do not do this."

"Jack, whatever you will choose, I will always be beside you."

Jack turned slowly to face her who hurried towards him, kissing and embracing him who replied her back with the same loving kiss and embrace, but she stopped when the door automatically opened.

Elsa almost moved away from Jack who did not allowed her to do so, continued embracing and kissing her, he only stopped when the voice of Frain's twin brother, Squall greeted him.

"Your majesty…"

Upon hearing the uneased voice before them, their king pulled himself away from his queen, confronted the messenger-spy who gestured his closed fist, bowing and kneeling before him with the rest of the inner council and the imperial court. A particular member along with the head of the councils stood up after bowing and kneeling before him, drew near to welcome him and Elsa.

As they were heading into the throne room even if Elsa was beside him, she noticed the majority of the council and the imperial court surrounded themselves around their king, glad Jack Frost had returned but weary of her somehow.

The moment they stepped inside the Grand Winter Throne Hall, Jack felt his vision blurred when the Crystal Throne of Winter came into his sight. His forced confident steps turned slower and heavy, and his hand holding Elsa started to slightly shake as painful memories of his traumatic pasts, particularly his father murdered in cold blood by his own brother in the same throne hall. The words of the royal council of advisors have fall off from his deaf ears when he could not move another step towards the distant throne situated high above on the grand icy platform.

Sensing him with deep concern, Elsa halted her pace and eyed her husband who remained holding her hand and stood motionless beside her while the council advisors continued to report to Jack. All unaware of their king's sudden change of behavior. Immediately, she knew she must take control to calm things down upon seeing silent Jack seemed to lower and hid his devastated face in the shadows, controlling not to choke out from the overwhelming emotions he began reliving that moment.

"Pardon everyone, His majesty and I are very exhausted from our long trip. We both request to be alone - a time for us to rest before we all continue."

"But the Coronation, your grace?! It is today…"One of the advisor halted when they heard their queen's soft spoken but authoritative and diplomatic voice.

"We both know, and we assure you all that the coronation will proceed as you've planned today."

"Thank you, your grace," Jack's former mentor replied Elsa, realizing the platinum blonde's actions. He bowed down as his fellow advisors follow his lead, began to exit the throne room, leaving their king and queen alone.

* * *

Feeling relief after seeing the grand doors closed as soon as everyone left them alone, Elsa returned to face Jack who now moved towards another direction where a table at the far corner was.

"Jack?" His wife drew near him while he struggled after shoving away the particular memory.

Giving a faint smile at her, Jack felt glad Elsa's with him.

_What would he ever do without her?_

Reflecting, their life together as a couple, Jack contemplated the times they helped and supported each other, whispered his immerse gratitude at her. "Thank you, Elsa…"

Approaching him, she viewed him started to browse the letters and documents piled up for the Winter King. Her blue eyes glanced down towards his hands holding and exchanging document after document while sensing Jack tried to pretend that everything is fine with him, and that he had return back to his old calm and carefree self.

"Just trying to familiarize myself…" He spoke to her again, struggled emotionally again. "…what imperial royal papers or galactic treaties look like…" Jack did not face Elsa anymore when she moved closer beside him and wrapped her arms around him to comfort him, sensing Jack's real emotions were stirring wildly inside of him. "Look at these - a lot of reports filled with numbers regarding finances and expenditures for the improvements of the Imperial Empire…" He then placed it aside and grabbed another set of papers. "…and invitations for the entire year scheduled for long public speeches…" He set it aside and picked another paper, then read loudly the title of a brief letter from one of his military generals about the incoming war. "…a dispatch to the king…" Out of the blue, Jack spurted out to be funny to cover up what he was truly feeling. "…the only king I know is Burger King, King Kong or Chicken ala King…" His voice began to crack with despair when his humor this time had totally failed him. "…not me…" His eyes began to flood with gathering tears. "…think that would be a mistake… if this letter is addressed to me…"

"No, don't be silly, please." His wife immediately moved before him and whispered his name. "Jack…"

He continued to shift the documents before him, so shameful of allowing her to see him breaking like this - vulnerable, not the resilient and happy-go-lucky Jack who he had always presented himself to be. "…plans for the Winter King's Coronation…." His tears spilled out from his face for Jack knew once he will be king, his life with Elsa will no longer be his own. "…think that would be an even bigger mistake…" Desperately, he tried to cover his face before her, cried softly. "I am not the Winter King….I am not the Winter King…I am the Bringer of Winter - that is all I know…" Sniffling, he quickly and repeatedly apologized at her, knowing she will be greatly involved with his "life without freedom". "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Elsa emotionally replied him with tears forming in her very concern eyes, sympathized with her Jack. "You remember, Jack, that moment you once told me how you declared yourself as king in order for you to summon your higher royal powers when you faced off the Níðhöggr (Nidhogg) and its wyrm (dragon) leader, Jörmungandr in the prison-gallows of Yggdrasill to save me." Elsa held his hands together and briefly closed her eyes as she breathed deeply upon realizing the lengths Jack had done to be with her back then, because he truly loved her. "And how you came down towards the lowest pit of Death's Cavern just to fly me out of there to be in Eternity with you." Her words struck a chord inside Jack's heart. "Those are impossible things you've possibly done for me…because of your love for me." She paused before she continue to speak to him. "I will still love you whatever decision you choose - may it be you remained as the Bringer of Winter or as the Winter King. Jack, I will always stay by your side as your wife, and this time, as you queen." Elsa gave a serene smile at Jack who instantly held and kissed her lovingly.

All the doubts inside him have slowly ebbed away as soon as she kissed him back. This time Jack had felt the real confidence had returned back to him because of the supportive and heartfelt words of his wife and queen.

_After an hour of ceremonial coronation, recognition, and declaration of him as King and I as his Queen, I saw myself standing beside him on the top of the highest balcony where we once arrived in his home realm. This time I stood beside him as his equal, his wife, and his queen before all the people of Niflheim._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Of Deities and Of Royals –

_Minutes ago, I was standing beside him in the frosty diamond and ivory- carved balcony of the Grand Imperial Palace in the center of Cornice Capital, and being presented before all the people of Niflheim, and then, we were escorted and surrounded by a chosen group of silvery white armored elite imperial guards towards the Grand Throne Room where the Crystal Throne of Winter stood in all its magnificence as if it was formed by ice sapphires that sprung out frozen from the Greatness of Ageless Niflheim. Then, I heard the countless blasts of __Gjallarhorns__ along with the shouts of the people rejoicing for us as their new King and Queen. Suddenly, they became silent when a lone voice spoke in his native tongue of Old Norse, announcing and presenting our King as they waited for him to take his seat on the throne, a traditional and symbolic manner in their realm that he, alone, has the absolute power._

Wearing a powder blue regal long gown that trailed a couple of meters away from her along with her transparent cape decorated with exquisite snowflakes, Elsa held herself gracefully with her crown of ice diamonds and sapphires worn elegantly on her head. His blue eyed queen adorned with diamonds and pearls on her bare neck, shoulders and wrists, averted her eyes coyly after glancing and blushing at him for never seeing him more attractively handsome with his kingly formal attire of royal blue and silver icy armor with his long white cape designed with frosts and snow.

Noticing her, his face glowed slightly with a crimson hue as he remained captivated by her beauty, Jack struggled to remain as formal as he could even if it was so difficult for him for the sake of the people of Niflheim and for her. Feeling uncomfortable with the heavier and larger jeweled ice crown on his head, Jack remained majestic and glorious.

The platinum blonde did not moved at the center platform's side when noticing her husband did not stepped an inch after his Old Norse's name was announced as king of Niflheim. Instead, he drew closer towards Elsa and surprisingly held her hand, and led her towards the Crystal Throne of Winter with him, making sudden gasps filled the entire grand hall. There were even more surprised looks and whispers when their King sat and eyed his Queen to sit with him.

_Jack?!_

Elsa stunned at him, but never questioned him, took her seat beside him in the large throne after realizing the way he looked at her. It was like the time he was sharing his immortality to her, this time, he was sharing the reign of Niflheim with her. And he was completely aware of the reactions inside the Grand Throne Hall, ignoring his people's reactions since it was a breakaway of their old traditions, customs, and laws.

That is what they get for having him as the Winter King, he's after all the infamous rebellious Winter Prince for breaking the rules and defying his predecessor, his tyrannical and sadistic brother. And his actions was the main reason his realm's people were alive and free today.

Holding her hand in front of everyone else in the hall, he did not spoke, it was a clear sign and silent message from their King -

_For the greater good of all, it's time for the war-torn Niflheim to have peace._

He cannot do this alone, of course. He needed his people's support and cooperation, but most of all, he needed Elsa, his Queen, who was once a queen of known peaceful kingdom of Arendelle. And she knew how to make that ideal of peace real.

There was a long silence until someone gave an applause. Jack glanced at the support he was receiving from his official counsel, his mentor and one of his advisers in the imperial council. His mentor's applause was followed by his loyal friends, fellow warriors, other followers and some of his people who believed and longed hope for this idea of peace.

The loud agreeing clapping stopped when Holly's awestruck loud voice rang out from the grand hall, announcing the unforeseen winged guests that appeared. Two large ravens acting as messengers from a specific First Age immortal god. "By the heavens, the raven-messengers of All Father, Odin, himself…"

Everyone aware who sent the messengers fell into respectful silence while Jack stood up from his throne and held out his hand as one of the ravens flew towards him and perched on his arm. It was carrying a familiar object, a medal of a distinct honor - a symbol of the King of the Norse gods who once given it to the new King of Niflheim who once was a young Winter Prince way back then.

Jack closed his blue eyes briefly as if receiving a personal and secretive message from Odin before he whispered beside Elsa who rose up to her feet. "My warrior's symbol."

She remained awfully silent, her eyes unable to leave the medal on Jack's opened palm.

_There was this unknown force so powerful and strange pulling my entire being towards Jack's medal. I knew that symbol is Odin's symbol. A symbol of warriors like Jack - a Warrior of Ice. A symbol of honor and loyalty, and the belief that death in battle is glorious._

Halting her deep contemplation, Elsa heard the other raven cawing loudly. It flew around the hall as the other raven flew away from Jack's arm and joined the other raven high above like they were sending an invitation to the King of Niflheim.

"Huginn and Muninn wants us to go with them," Jack spoke at Elsa beside him. "They want us to go to Asgard since Odin invited us. After a few seconds, the Bifröst will be opened by Heimdallr, the god-watcher of the burning rainbow bridge." Smiling at her, he offered his arm at her while Elsa held his arm and remained speechless since she will be able to see the gods themselves in their splendid heavenly abode again.

After he spoke those words, a burst of blinding multicolored lights shone down on them at the same time Elsa and Jack disappeared from Niflheim's Grand Imperial Throne Room, and appeared before the Magnificent Hall of Asgard, the Realm of Power.

* * *

"Don't just stand there, how about you join us in our feast! Since this is our welcome celebration of you returning back to your home realm and to us!" A familiar voice thundered, greeting Jack. Thor spoke again after he hurled down his mug at the floor to ask for more wine. Jack smiled widely, facing the other warrior god. "Another! I want another! And ready a mug for my dear descendant!"

Elsa wide eyed stared at the god of thunder who stood up from his seat and welcomed his descendant who he's apparently proud of, pulling Jack briefly away from his frozen beautiful snow queen, and embraced Jack like his most favorite child.

Jack bowed respectfully at the elder god before him, reintroduced Elsa, his wife and queen to his immortal ancestor, but someone intruded them, hated the spotlight centered on the vain and arrogant war god who first welcomed their most important guests.

Speaking with venomous hate that he was living in the shadow of his godly brother's greatness and a hint of fiery envy since the god of winter is also his descendant and his claimed best prodigy who he literally brought up like a son since Jack was born, unlike Thor who only came to train when the deity of winter came to be a warrior, the dark haired god of mischief spoke up from the far corner.

"We know who she is. We all met in your memorable Wedding day, but this time, this feast differs - this celebration is for your return to your kingdom, Niflheim." Loki stressed his last words were only referring to Jack, and not Elsa.

Elsa shifted her eyes from the blond haired and heavy built war god to the leaner and slouching figure seated on the long table before them where all the gods were seated and eating, including the All-Knowing Father, Odin and his wife, Frigga.

Never would he and some other Æsir gods really acknowledge someone of Vanir, especially someone who was like her, a former mortal. Worst, someone who came from…

Loki's eyes rolled and narrowed slightly at where the three certain gods were seated, the Vanir.

The Vanir were taken into their group after the Æsir–Vanir War, and became members of the principal group of gods, the Æsir. But Loki and the other Æsir gods would never accept such even though the old war had long been over, and an exchanged of hostages from different clans were made to have their long peace. For Loki and the other gods, the old wounds and scars of war remained excruciatingly unhealed and refusing to fade away.

Njörðr, Freyr and Freyja left their seats, approached and embraced Elsa in their group in particular, not saying any words at the god of winter who was being taken in solo conversation with god of thunder and storms as both gods considered themselves close because they brought the fiercest weathers.

"Before there were three Vanir, and now, they are a group of happy four…" Bragi, the god of poetry, smiled and laughed, didn't realized his innocent and melodious words regarding the Vanir joining them were bitter to the god of mischief and his other heavenly companions.

"Well, we could reduce the number if we start another war by killing one of them, don't we?"

"Watch, your tongue, Loki that is not amusing at all!" Tyr, another war god voiced out.

"Strange, the god of war speaks of peace?! Have everything gone crazily upside down lately?! Oh, I see, you've gone coward! Lost your balls! For all this time of peace and love, you all fucked yourselves into idle folly." Loki retorted, began flyting with words to humiliate in the worst possible way, adding accusations of cowardice and sexual perverted words to insult.

This time, Elsa realized it was not the mild and friendly manner she witnessed between Holly and Frain did once exchanged. "And we have to thank the goddess of love of dulling our brains, and finally, turning you into complete idiots!" Upon saying those words, Loki's eyes directed at Jack who knew what Loki meant. His other godly ancestor gave a false wide smile before he turned to Freyja who came in defense of Elsa.

"If you think…"

The god of mischief did not let her continue, interrupted her savagely. "Shut up, you evil manipulating quim with your own self-interests! Do you think you are of entire good! Rumors spread you are not as you let others see you! And you put your own descendant in the front as a shiny glory to represent you and your powers of love! Everyone knew you and your so-called allies of Good, that you have a secret agreement with the Norns (Fates)! But what is unforgivable is you used this Elsa like a scapegoat to be sacrificed, turning my best prodigy into someone I sworn him not to be, and letting him take the final fall for her sake!" Spiteful Loki stood up, pointing his accusing finger at Elsa while Jack stepped before Elsa protectively. "My bloodline in Niflheim, so was Thor's, are not meant to feel love! That is the difference of them from your weak mortals whom you regarded are under your everlasting influence and protection! Thor and my descendants in Niflheim are meant to be the strongest since they are born as great and fearless warriors of cunning, born to assist us, the gods, when Ragnarök, the Worst and Last War comes. Now, Fate had changed because of you and your descendant, Elsa of Arendelle."

"Loki, my brother! Stop this blame game of yours! Don't let me use Mjölnir**,** my hammer, against you, just to keep the order and peace here in Asgard!"

The god of mischief gave a faint sneer, faced away from Thor and stared intensely at Jack beside Elsa. "As I said before, Fate changed. You are once meant to be my successor, the Bringer of Mischief and Cunning, Jack, not of Death's, the Bringer of End." After saying such, Loki walked out from the Grand Hall of Asgard with the other gods with him, while Odin continued to preside the ceremonial event.

* * *

Spellbinding music from the lyres of singing light elves and fairies continued to play while Jack halted eating, noticing Elsa had lost her appetite.

"Elsa?"

"I'm just tired…" She ceased whispering at him, feeling he placed his hand over her hand and held her hand which was resting on her lap.

Recalling that they were in Asgard, and there's no time here, Jack stood up to render a short speech of gratitude to his hospitable hosts.

As they prepared to depart, Thor embraced Jack briefly while Odin followed by, whispered words at Jack while Elsa remained beside the three Vanir gods, particularly Freyja.

"Elsa…"

Lifting her blue eyes, she eyed the goddess of love and beauty, and listened attentively at the golden goddess.

"Whatever Loki had said earlier, don't be troubled by his poisonous words. Be troubled if you don't feel any love anymore."

But it was not only Loki's words that had distressed her, but the realization of seeing Jack stood and talking with Thor and Odin while Jack's medal, a valknut, remained hanging around his neck.

Elsa felt sadness overwhelmed her once more when Thor spoke casually when she and Jack were disappearing when they were teleported away with Bifröst's multitude of colored lights.

"Months from now!" The bearded and muscular war god shouted at Jack, raising his arm high with his famed hammer. "In the battlefields and to glory!"

* * *

_Finally, we have returned back to his home realm, in the same balcony, where we once stood beside each other. That moment, the people of Niflheim were long gone for they have returned to their homes, unaware that we have returned._

_And when he almost led me further inside our palace, I grasped his hand and asked him a question that remained troubling my heart._

"You will be leaving…for war…" Her lips quivered.

Sensing her emotions through her voice, Jack turned to face her and whispered her name upon seeing her blue eyes flooded with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Feeling she could not hold on any longer, Elsa knew what little time was left for them to be together. Her expressive blue eyes reflected a look that even words could never compare to how she felt towards him.

Jack did not waited for her to speak. Without hesitation, he drew near her and held her face towards his face, kissed her deeply on her lips with untamed passion. When he finished kissing with her, he pressed his forehead against her forehead.

Elsa smiled at Jack.

He wrapped his arms around her and whispered. "I'll make sure with my remaining time here, I will always be with you."

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi my dear readers!

I made a few changes especially in Chapter 7 – a particular scene wherein Jack refused to be the winter king because of his painful traumatic pasts. Honestly, I was inspired by the movie, "The King's Speech". Yeah, one of the best movies I've ever watched.

Anyway, this is really disappointing. No one seemed to be reviewing, following and liking my story, which means I'll be cutting this story short. If this continues, I will never be inspired to completely finish this story, "**The Dark Cold Waters of ****Urðr**** (Destiny)**".

Hope that anyone reading this, should follow or even like this. Otherwise, I have no choice but to post one or two chapters and end this permanently.

This is triquetratraveler signing off for now.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Cold Grim Words from Death –

_And true to his word, he stayed with me, and we were always together, until time had run out, and a month was soon over. Then, that day I wished will never arrive had come…_

Waking up when sensing he rose up beside her, she asked him in concern. "Y-You're going…?"

"It's time for me to go. …" Jack almost leaving their marital bed, halted doing so when snow materialized out and fell down around them, turned to view his beloved who was controlling her sadness but could not. "Elsa, what's wrong? Please don't cry. I promised, I will return back here…" Jack did not continue speaking at her since he froze along with the snow falling down inside their room.

_Oh no…?! What just happened?! Did I…?!_

Elsa confused, sat closer near Jack who remained not moving as if she froze him.

"Jack…" She gave a deep breath, and whispered near him. "Just wish you have more time to spend with me…" She gave him a brief and loving kiss on his lips, then he unfroze since her sadness turned into concern of him for not moving.

"What just happened?!" He dismissed it when seeing her in front of him instead of being behind him earlier. "Oh, I mean, where are we..?!" He corrected himself and smiled seductively. He sought kisses from her and started making love with her as if thinking he just returned back from his kingly responsibilities until a loud knock was heard behind their royal chambers' door, and Hail's voice requested for their Winter King to be prepared for their usual daily schedule with the War Council meetings and his other royal duties with his Warriors of Ice.

As soon as he stepped out, fully clothed but not wearing his Niflheim royal armor. Hail's eyes widened with disbelief, scolded him like he really was, his troublemaker nephew. "Is something wrong with your head?! I mean, do you have a good grasp of time?! You are meeting not only me and Spike, your high general, but the entire War Council of the Imperial Empire regarding this upcoming war against your vengeful brother." The head of his elite imperial guards glanced strictly at Jack. "If I sensed it right, she froze you again since your brain apparently froze from thinking…"

"Still pretty amazing to me, so what if she could freeze me!" Jack gave a faint amused smirk. "But it does not mean her particular powers could freeze my consciousness! Let's just say I heard and granted her wish." The god of winter's smile curved with a mixture of being flattered and delighted, then he gave a brief chuckle with his blushing face looking away in a dreamlike manner.

"You knew, and yet you pretended as if you aren't aware of her rare powers?! If that is the case, then you are breaking the rules, including your obligations and duties as king regarding your daily meetings with the Council…"

"I do not follow rules, I break them, and you know long before, I don't care as long as Elsa is with me." Jack spoke seriously, ignoring if he sounded like a selfish, irresponsible, and defiant idiot. Jack ceased conversing with Hail when his mentor spoke, joining them who were walking in the palace hallway.

"I think that is not breaking the rules, Hail, since it is tradition, customs and laws for our Winter King to be with his Snow Queen, especially when he will be going off to war. Besides, we need his heir-to-the-throne…" Snip gave an intense look at Jack. "Before you will depart for war, Holly and the rest of the healers and their assistants have to check the queen if the king is successful in having a child with his queen."

"Did they checked the queen after he left the royal chambers?" Hail asked the elder man, the official counsel. "So, is she? She has to be, because she came from bloodline of the goddess of love and fertility?!" Snip whose electric blue eyes stared at Jack before he fell into silence as if in telepathic conversation with the official healer, and then, he gestured with his clenched fist on his chest, bowed and kneeled.

"Yes, and it's of good news. Niflheim will have an heir."

Upon hearing those words from his old mentor, Jack overjoyed, hurried back to where he came from, deaf at Hail's nagging words that he's late with the meeting with the council, as he flew further inside the grand palace towards where Elsa is.

* * *

_I have never expected after minutes that Jack left our chambers, the servants entered with Squall who bowed and kneeled before me, informing me that Holly will be coming in with the rest of the healers and their assistants. He explained to me that it was their tradition and custom that before their king will depart for war, because of such uncertainties of him returning from war, they were expecting me to have his child, an heir-to-the-throne. Upon hearing his words, I soon realized that there is a possibility that Jack will never come back again, but I am not entirely giving up my hope of him of returning to me. Never in a second will I doubt or despair since we had long ago experienced overcoming impossible obstacles before. _

_And that sparkle of hope grew into a flame after a few minutes Holly entered and had the final words of examining me, that I am positively pregnant with Jack's child._

"Congratulations, Elsa, you're a mother. Aside from confiding to me that your monthly bloody visitor had not visited you at all. Plus, you complained to me once that you were not feeling well especially in the mornings, and that you were vomiting more than the usual. Let's not forget these passed days when you were requesting for more ridiculous combinations of food for the servants to cook and bring for you to eat?!"

_M-Me?! A…m-mother…?!_

The platinum blonde queen surprised was filled with a stirring emotions of overwhelming happiness, anxiety, sadness and dread.

"E-Elsa…?!" The wavy white haired healer gestured her fellow healers and assistants to leave them alone for a while when noticing Elsa clutched her arms around particularly on her abdomen protectively. "Hey?! Chin up! You don't have to worry, I and Pete will take care of you and your child when Jack and his armies are away…" Holly halted comforting Elsa who shed tears. Her blue misty eyes stared back at Holly, who became her close friend during her stay in Niflheim for the passed weeks.

"Somehow, I'm afraid….not for myself, but for Jack's and my child…" After saying such words, Elsa excused herself, hurried towards the annex room to be alone. Leaning against the locked and closed door, she slid herself slowly down the floor, and tried to calm herself.

_I have to pull myself together again, especially that he'll be leaving. I can't let him worry about me. _

She rose up to her feet and decided to wash the tears away from her eyes. After washing her face, she heard a knock from her door. Opening it calmly, she eyed her royal female servants asking her if she would like them to assist her to wash herself up. She nodded, allowing them to undress her as she proceeded towards the large pool-like tub before her.

As the servants grabbed her clothes away, Elsa closed her eyes and dipped herself deeper in the cold waters.

_"__Always stay strong with love."_

Upon hearing an unknown female voice whispering, forcing the platinum blonde to open her eyes in shock.

For the first time in her life, the platinum blonde realized she was transported in some enchanting watery flowing domain filled with frost flowers which strangely weren't above the icy water but around the mysterious silhouette of a younger girl.

This time, the angelic looking maiden with serene sapphire blue eyes in the magical watery domain had whispered at her.

_"__Remember…"_

She held out her hand towards Elsa.

Unafraid, Elsa reached out her hand towards the long haired young woman who gave a tranquil smile at her.

_For a moment, the breathless sight of the peaceful waters of time around us, gave me a sense of comfort and hope. I was spell-bounded by the mysterious beauty of the Endless Sea of Time with its countless waves rolling to and fro in a rhythmic melody that turned into an enchanting song which my heart began to recall and know somehow. Unaware, how I was humming a haunting but familiar song, until I was singing along with the mysterious girl in the frosty eternal waters. It is the song, a-would-be lullaby, overflowing within my heart - the song I have for my unborn child… _

When their fingers touched, a series of visions stormed inside the platinum blonde, consisting of her memories so unfamiliar to her, making her rose up from her bathing waters filled with white winter roses.

Gasping for air, Elsa came face to face with Jack who entered and ordered the servants to leave him and his queen. Upon seeing her, Jack hurried towards her, grabbing her towel, and paying no attention of himself as he was lowering in the bathing waters and allowing himself to be drenched wet up to his knees. Watching Elsa rose up further and leaving the deeper side of the bathing pool as she approached him, he held up the towel for her who allowed Jack to cover and wrapped her with her towel.

Noticing the particular white winter roses in the waters, Jack wrapped his arms around Elsa before he carried her in his arms as her arms hung around his shoulders in an embrace. Pressing his forehead against hers, he whispered.

"I remembered the first time I saw you, I knew you were the only one for me."

"And when was that?" Elsa kissed him.

"At first, it felt like a dream, but it wasn't. You were staring outside the window, looking back at me."

The platinum blonde fell into silence upon hearing him who headed to their royal chambers. Slowly, she caressed his face lovingly, whispered. "And then I saw you, smiling back at me. I then knew somehow, you were the one meant to be with me."

* * *

Lying in bed beside Elsa, Jack could still remember that moment when he accidentally dropped the Pooka's gem that rolled towards the Trolden mirror. And once the time gem struck the mirror, a mysterious friction causes a strange spark. From out of nowhere, a voice within him spoke of the love he would see. He drew slowly towards the mirror, dropped his staff when seeing he is not looking anymore at his reflection but someone else - a very gorgeous girl with serene blue eyes and platinum blond hair. And Elsa seemed staring back from the window, startled as if she could see him too. For a while her stunning emotional eyes were filled with fear, but it changed into curiosity, awe, and finally, blissful delight. He placed his hand on the mirror when viewing she does the same thing with her hand on the window. And for the first time, Jack felt differently. An indescribable elated sensation of not being alone, making the immortal winter prince gave his most beautiful and sincerest smile at the mortal princess of Arendelle.

As he reminisced the past of their first time of seeing each other, Jack caressed his fingers playfully and gently on Elsa's bare shoulders and back, creating and designing beautiful and intricate frost shaped flowers on his wife's flawless skin. Sleepily, Elsa remained resting beside him with their silvery blankets wrapped comfortably around them after they spend a moment of intimacy.

"Don't worry, Elsa, just go to sleep. I'll be right here beside you." Jack spoke assuring her, remained watching her since he wasn't feeling sleepy at all. He briefly kissed her forehead, ignored her who snuggled herself closer towards him while their arms remained around each other in an embrace.

As soon as she closed her eyes and deep sleep got over her, Jack's eyes darted at the corner where a shadowy figure materialized from the darkness. His long dark tattered cloak and his black feathers falling away from his skeletal wings remained fluttering against the cold night winds.

"So, the news reached you too from down below…" Jack's known light-hearted disposition changed into a sudden somber turn. "As I recalled, your legacy which you wanted me to inherit had long ended."

"Because of love…." The bringer of the end hoarsely whispered back to his grandson, but couldn't do anything anymore. "…because of her…and you loving her back…" His skull head turned to face sleeping Elsa beside Jack. "I am Death, the one who level down everything and anyone equally, even how great or insignificant they once were in their lifetimes." He paused before he continue to speak. "You know, I never lie, my grandson. I am not here for her, or for vengeance. I've accepted what had happened - I was defeated by love in a very fair way, but I am not bitter and vengeful as any ancient immortals you've known." Mortos gave a grave look at Jack, reminding Jack that he is still his family. "Back then, you know them, of course, and their reasons, and how committed they all are of their convictions. And presently, they see you and her as a wedge, which Freyja powerfully made, a barrier against their own ultimate goals. "

"You've came here to warn me about them." Jack slightly rose from the bed, replied back. "But you are not the messenger for them." His grandson, the winter king, cleverly deduced and frowned. "That means they will send someone not only to give me their worst threat, but to gravely harm us as well." Suddenly, Death did not spoke anymore, glided backwards creepily towards the darkness where he came from and left disappearing into nothingness while Jack decided to stay in bed and contemplate silently his next course of action before falling into slumber.

* * *

An image of three interlocking triangles remained haunting her.

From recalling the symbol patterned medal being held by Jack during the festive celebration in Asgard to the changed sight of the same symbol engraved in his armor which was entirely stained with his blood that was spreading and reaching where she stood on the snowy ground. With the overpowering smell of his blood, his dying and fainting rasps, and his stunned widening royal blue eyes staring at her sight with the flurries of calming snow glowing around her. Her vision returned towards the symbol of the valknut in his armor.

As soon as she was lost in his long gaze with the image of his valknut, an overlapping image entered the deep corner of her mind of a falling time hour glass collapsed against the magically drawn symbol of a valknut on the snow-covered ground. Its glass shattered as the white crystal-like sands turned into flurries of snow and scattering before her younger image who stood in the familiar woods of the Northern Mountain where her family and her sister, Anna, once enjoyed their vacation. It was her special place where she delightfully skated and glided on the frozen lake, waiting for winter's first snow.

Forcing her to wake up, her body trembled with cold sweat as her newly opened blue eyes stared frightened and stunned of her visions, but composed herself when seeing her sleeping husband still beside her in bed during that deepening night. Slowly rising up to calm herself, Elsa sat on their massive royal bed, her eyes unable to look away from one of the eight moons brilliantly shining and peering in one of the large windows in front of her. Its companion moons' silvery white lights continued to partly flood the vast royal chambers.

It felt no nightmarish dream at all. It felt so real as if it were memories long been buried away, and now had waken her up with distress.

Elsa pushed away the tangled layers of bedsheets on top of her before she moved away from the royal bed, carefully pulling herself away as not to disturb her husband who was deeply sleeping like a log. She grabbed hold her robe to wear around her.

"Elsa …" Jack's voice startled her who thought he was deeply sleeping earlier. "Bring me a glass of cold water, sweetheart, would ya?"

_What the…?!_

Her surprised reaction instantly turned into irritation. Elsa's lips curved into a vexed frown, could not believe her Jack turned out to be a royal pain in the ass since he was ordering her to do menial things like she was his servant, never as his wife and queen.

_What next after ordering her to bring a glass of water- tell him some bed time story, or worst, make him a sandwich?! _

"Sorry, Jack… how about you do it yourself…" Elsa forced to reply him back with a hint of harsh words, her confused mind still preoccupied with her jumbled thoughts about her so-called dream of her memories.

"Well, I'm so sleepy and lazy to get up, honey…" He insisted, making the platinum blonde noticed something's definitely wrong, but Jack annoyingly repeated with persisting impatience, hoping Elsa will give in to her anger at him. "I want you to bring me some water!"

"Why not I'll help you with that now!" Elsa immediately turned unpredictable, pivoted with her arms outstretched, magically creating water by freezing the gathered moisture and then thawing it, and finally throwing it at Jack who powerfully summoned his winds which flung Elsa's cold waters at a particular opened window.

Elsa hurried towards the window while Jack drew near his wife who was shock when seeing two visible figures drenched wet and stuck frozen with her ice. Even though caught in the act, they remained pretending to be innocent bystanders, rudely ignoring Elsa who realized what was going on, controlled not to be hysterical at what just happened.

"Y-You two….are watching us…?!" Their Snow Queen's voice shaken with disbelief of their mischievousness and shamelessness, showing how she greatly valued her privacy when she's with Jack during their intimate and passionate moments. "…all this time when I and your Winter King were doing…"

"Listen, they will never admit that," Jack replied his wife, eyed the emotionless and silent twins, Squall and Frain, down below. "Besides, those two royal spies will only be putting their defense that they were "witnesses of our stately affairs"…" Jack did not finished explaining when a huge blizzard materialized and threw angrily the Sleet twins far away. Knowing the frigid force of nature came from his wife, Jack watched the twins were powerfully blown away, so were their clothes. Humorously frozen like naked statues, the twins landed in the Central Square of Cornice Capital where a lot of citizens were busy doing their work, surprisingly halted to glance at them.

_The nerve of those twin perverts!_

Her anger subsided when hearing Jack apologized for his very curious and naughty cousins. She viewed him approaching her to appease her further when suddenly there was a knock at the door, and a voice of Jack's mentor, Snip, requested their king's presence in one of the council's urgent and untimely meetings about their preparations for the upcoming war.

Upon hearing Snip, Jack hurriedly dressed up while Elsa help him up with her magic. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon." He gave her a quick and passionate kiss before he turned and left her alone inside their royal chambers.

* * *

As soon as he left, she decided to dress herself up and wander alone around the Grand Imperial Palace. Elsa slowly peered outside the towering doors of their royal chambers, noticed neither guards nor servants were around the hallway where she is. Elsa further ventured away from their room, felt an unpleasant chill along the dimly lit hall way of the palace. She halted walking towards the King's study where she was expecting Jack would be with his royal council and military officers. Embracing herself, the platinum blonde haired queen did not faced and looked at the direction where a hooded figure's robes were swaying like ragged curtains blown by the night winds. From the corner of her eye, the shadowy entity changed its misty form into his known form recognizable for Elsa to see and remember. However, the new queen of Niflheim remained icy and disrespectful at the unexpected guest for she had good reasons - to begin with, they were never been pleasant at each other at all.

"What do you want? You are unwelcome here."

"Good. You aren't afraid of me anymore. Because you remembered that you and my grandson defeated me and placed me in the Gray Shade - now, I am eternally neither to be good nor evil." He paused briefly to counter her cold hostile greeting. "I am never a guest here. This was my home and will forever be my home, before you became my grandson's wife and queen." His eerie voice replied her back. "I was a Winter King, and as long as I have eternally existed, I have a right to return here where I was born and had lived before I became the bringer of the end." Death's sullen eyes remained looking at Elsa who faced him. Slowly, the reaper who pointed at a certain royal portrait with his long bony clawed finger.

Instead of fear creeping inside of her, curiosity moved her to where the hooded grim one motionlessly pointed. Elsa's blue eyes widened upon viewing the similar handsome image of Jack, except, he was older by a few years with long silvery white hair falling wildly over his confident and regal eye-catching composure. Unlike the other formal portrait of long gone imposing and attractive monarchs beside him, he was standing in a royal art studio, and beside him seemed to be a painting he made. It was a portrait of a very beautiful woman whom Elsa's could never deny had met as her hands started to shake at the coincidences of the events that was happening in her life. Her lips quivered the woman's name.

"D-Drifa…"

Death's face covered with shadows of darkness seemed to react to the name of the woman Elsa uttered, spoke at the queen again. "I see, you know her. And just like her and you, you belonged to the other house, an enemy of my house."

Deep inside the platinum blonde seemed to piece one by one together, the motives and reasons of the sinister god of death of pulling his grandson away from her as much as possible, like two star-crossed lovers as he once was with Drifa.

"I once lied, and played dirty and nasty tricks when I was living, just like my royal ancestors and descendants in the House of Frosti. We were accustomed to be, for us to have the advantage over anyone in order for our Great House to stay in power…until I died." Mortos lowered his bony finger. "Truth is I never lied when I became Death. Because, every time I took every being's soul, in their last moments, they reveal who they truly are, regardless of who and what they were during their lives. For only truth was reflected in their eyes and spoken from their lips before they die." The Reaper whispered in honest confession. "It seemed you are piecing the puzzle as quickly as you can. And your guess is as right, Queen Elsa. She is my one true love. Unfortunately, I lived in a wrong time and wrong place with her. Even before she and I were born, the Great Civil War had long raged and razed Niflheim, and it torn us apart when the truth was revealed to us who we were and from what Houses we each respectively belonged. We became leaders of our Great Houses, and fought from different sides. We both wounded each other time and again. But even so with the war, we came to greatly admire each other, and secretly came to love each other more." He paused. "Until one of us grew tired of fighting, and sought a temporary truce with the condition - to fight in a duel where one of the Houses will leave our home realm, while the victorious one will stay in Niflheim." He stopped narrating his story, eyed Elsa who frowned and turned her blue eyes at him.

"You tricked her…"

"My House deceitfully planned and tricked both of us." Death corrected the Snow Queen who was too dumbfounded to reply him back. "So was hers." He continued with his story. "In the end, we both realized we were both manipulated and used, and we both run away to live a life together. But, she fell into an incurable pain, forcing me to take her back to her House. Because of my doing, my son had taken over as the Winter King of my Royal House, and the civil war escalated into unforgiving brutality. As for me, I was taken to be locked up as decided by the majority of my own House members. The last time I heard about her is that she had taken the last ship to escape the maddening massacre of her own people. Their ship had gone to Midgard, and that Drifa's suffering condition had worsened, because she became a mortal like the rest of her family from the House of Freyja. Upon hearing the news, I decided to escape my prison and trailed her back to your Kingdom of Arendelle, where I saw and spoke to her one last time before I had granted her last request to end her suffering."

"You mercifully killed her." Elsa's blue eyes misted while Death slowly turned his back from her and moved away slightly with his hooded head lowered. And for a brief moment of sympathy, Elsa could relate herself with the reaper.

"Yes, I have." His voice hissed with bitter coldness. "Until I felt the remorse and guilt turned into cold nothingness, and became Death as you see me now." His hooded head returned to face the queen once again. "The same cold nothingness my grandson felt in another time, that is the reason I have a claim to him, until time changed as he journeyed to find you again, and all was history as we both know now."

Hearing his words as if she was spiraling down into a deeper hole she ever been, she questioned him. "What do you mean the same cold nothingness Jack felt?!"

"Didn't my grandson told you? How he felt as if he was melting and dying and he was almost turning into a bringer of end when you died. Of course, you could live again because you are from Freyja's. But beware, there is a reason for you living in this lifetime, and I think there are others like me, more hell-bent, who might manipulate you for their own vengeful purposes. "

Upon hearing the dark entity before her, the platinum blonde haired queen stepped back in denial. Instead of expecting fear, instant fury burned inside her that caused deadly ice that spiked towards Death who was not affected at all. Observing Elsa who was shocked at her unpredictable emotions and frightening powers, the reaper moved away like a transparent mist from the frozen icicles which was piercing him earlier.

His sullen eyes glowed cautiously at her. "Remember this, I will never leave my grandson's side for all eternity. The first time I saw my grandson's powers making his first kill while protecting his sister and mother, I knew he will be my heir, and not Loki's. But since you both defeated me, I had put aside that claim, had allowed him to live with the resolve and reason he wants himself to be – in this present time and present place with you." He moved back to merged with the darkness behind him. "A word of advice, Queen Elsa of Niflheim, don't trust anyone, not even your own self."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - The Sons of Mayhem: the Warg and the Serpent -

Elsa hurried away after viewing Death faded away, frightened this time not for herself but for Jack. She walked swiftly in the long winding hallways of the partly dark imperial palace, breathed a sigh of relief when reaching his Royal Study.

As soon as she entered she heard the cracking of the fire in the hearth but was started when realizing Jack never wanted to turn the fire of the hearth at all, he preferred the cold like her. Elsa halted to enter further when seeing a figure with dark fur cloak, thinking the person might have been Jack's royal counsel and mentor, Snip, who usually wore his famous gray wolf pelt hooded cape while warming himself in the study alone until the known fur cape moved, revealing it wasn't an attire at all. It was a human-sized wolf with red eyes who seemed to be aware that she is in the room, spoke in her own language.

"If you are looking for your husband, he is not here, he is down in the lower floor in the Grand War Room where the largest battle map of Niflheim is. The royal council is currently with him so is his other military officers." The wolf remained seated while noticing the queen was motionless upon seeing and hearing him who acted like an ordinary human, seeking for warmth on the nearby fire in a cold realm such as Niflheim, and drinking a mug of mead. "It seemed you never seen me in this other form before. We've met you and I, of course, your husband introduced you with my two sons." He paused for a moment when she did not replied, remained silent and petrified, making Fenrir laughed up at his friend's wife and queen. "Mortals and their minds of logic and reason – thinking they know and could explain everything. Oh, my mistake, you're not mortal anymore, since you've married Jack."

The wolf slightly opened his mouth, showing his fangs as if it was equivalent of a smirk or even a sneer. But it is clear, the beast seemed had no liking at her at all as a faint growling retained with its loud breathing. He knew somehow that she will be coming here in the King's Study to look for her husband. The warg secretly knew that she had an earlier conversation with Death himself. And every time, Death is around the imperial palace, royal servants and guards do not lingered at their posts since who would ever want to see Death anyway. At least, he was pleasant to look at than Death, he even smelled better, but the only problem he has - those pesky nasty blood-sucking ticks. Deciding he had to go down to business since she was that kind of person anyway, the wolf spoke at Elsa after scratching his neck with his hind leg that made Elsa uncomfortable. Her look drastically changed from an uneasy glance into a disgusted stare when seeing ticks falling off from Fenrir's neck and those ticks jumped back into the direwolf again. Controlling herself for being a perfectionist when it comes to neatness and organizing things, Elsa clasped her hands tightly in front of her, doesn't like to be disrespectful at Fenrir even if he is the complete opposite.

"Let's be frank here, your grace, I don't like you one bit at all, but I fully respected my friend, Jack's obvious feelings of love towards you." Fenrir sipped his mead while Elsa forced to move to sit at the far opposite chair facing the wolf, struggling to be polite at the visitor.

"You don't like me because I am from the Snaer House, or from Freyja's, isn't it?"

"No," Fenrir bluntly replied back Elsa, lowered his mug, faced her intensely again. "Because you are exactly like her, your godly ancestor - very alluring gorgeous, smelled so captivatingly good, and immensely addicting in terms of being exceptionally good in the acts of lovemaking…"

"W-What?!" Elsa stood up, shocked at the ill-mannered wolf who remained calmed, gave a show of his fangs again as he smirked at her.

"Now, don't be angry. I am just putting everything together as I observed my friend, your husband. Why would he spend longer in the royal chambers in bed with you?!"

"That is none of your damn concern!" The platinum blonde haired queen raised her voice at the obnoxious wolf who softly chuckled in a dark and sinister way after annoying and angering the queen.

"Yeah, none of my concern." He whispered sarcastically before becoming somber, spoke interrupting the queen. "Of course, it is my concern. Jack is my friend, I considered him my brother of defiance, one of my pack, and I intended to be loyal to him as long as I could. And when I said, he is in my pack that means, I am overprotective of anyone in my pack. I just hated the way Freyja and you took him away from the Wild and turned him domesticated into someone else. I don't recognized him anymore!"

Fenrir stood up, making Elsa cautious, readied herself in case the warg will attack her, as a pair of ice daggers formed in her hands. The beast noticed her, ignored her, then he spoke out once again.

"Before your husband became my friend, the immortal boy of winter freed me from those chains and hid me from the gods who lived in Asgard, they forever tied me up because of a stupid prophecy regarding Ragnarök. Ever since, Jack had given me food, sheltered me and taken good care of me until he left Niflheim for you. And now, he had returned and had this so-called humanity inside him?!" Growling, Fenrir threw his mug in the hearth, terrifying Elsa who almost raised her hands with her ice daggers and to blast out ice against the warg who widened his eyes. The terrifying wolf reacted with a threatening stance and a vicious snarl, showing his sharp teeth ready to savagely pounce and tear apart the platinum blonde in front of him where it not for Winter King who was just right in time entered his royal study and flew fast in alarm to drew near to shield protectively his wife. Materializing his royal crook shaped staff, Jack summoned his winter winds to push back Fenrir who gradually mellowed down upon seeing his friend. However, instead of greeting his friend, the King of Niflheim, Fenrir greeted an unseen being as Jack subsided down his wild wintry winds.

"Long time no see, brother," Fenrir greeted, his eyes at Jack's Royal Staff. The queen behind her husband whispered with her brows knitted.

"B-Brother?" Elsa viewed Jack briefly turned behind at her after she moved beside him. "Jack? What is he talking about?"

"It's the Royal Staff," Jack replied his wife.

"You imprisoned him there," The Warg gave a snicker. "Oh, I get it. No wonder you called me here." He chuckled in a dark amused manner at the royal couple. "It's one of your clever tricks." His red eyes focused at his white haired and blue eyed friend. "Just make sure, you got it totally in control and not the other way around. Because, my brother, Jormungand, is also as sharp and crafty as our father, Loki. He had the same parentage – same blood flowing in our veins, even if we are brothers, I had to admit that we both greatly hate each other. He hates my wild rebellious ways, while I hate his creepy deceiving self. He's a damn good actor and a scheming liar - the ideal con artist, making him envious and competitive against anyone. He is after all the master of illusions. Can't blame my attention-seeking brother, he is suffering eternally with the middle-child syndrome!"

Jack gave a certain look at Fenrir, slammed down his Royal Staff as he briefly concentrates. Instantly, frosts emanating blue light appeared around his crook shaped staff. An incredible force so powerful instantly unleashed within his staff that shook their surroundings. Instead of appearing in his real form, the known World Serpent had shaped himself into a beautiful and refined man who stood between his roguish wolf-brother and the stoic king of Niflheim.

"Is this a surprise?" He viewed himself freed, but giving obvious exaggeration of his expressions and actions, knowing his brother had given warnings about him. "Fancy seeing you here, brother." There was hint of bitterness in his soft and polite voice, seeing his brother Fenrir's eyes remained absolutely vigilant like a vicious guard dog before him. He turned to focus and face at Jack, knowing the god of winter concealed his surrounding including the people in his home realm, for he could only see the Winter King and his brother, Fenrir. "Odd, I sensed you two are not alone in this room." His yellow-green eyes gave a taunting look at Jack. "I know before you released me, my heat vision sensed there are three people here. Wonderful. I am experiencing a powerful royal of Niflheim using a higher winter spell based from my father, Loki's known cloaking illusions. Are you protecting her, King of Niflheim, your dear Queen? In that case, I can't sense her or harm her, but she could harm me instead if I would do something nasty at you and my brother, Fenrir. So, this is how you trust her so much. You are allowing her to act as your back up just in case things do go wrong between the three of us. Very brilliant indeed! So it was true, that cliché about a few but exceptional people who are extremely brilliant are also known to be crazily reckless and lazily carefree. And you are one of them, Jack." His lips tugged an insane and jealous smile at Jack along with a wide-eyed admiring look. "No wonder, father favored you the most and took you under his wing and groomed you to be his heir! Then, tell me, King of Niflheim, since Loki, Thor and Death claimed you as their only heir, how does it feel if you are fully aware that you could evolved to be the god of winter, mayhem, war and death - an ultimate and unequalled force to be reckoned with?! No wonder, the other side led by the Tsar of Light of the Night Skies was desperate to have you in their weakening side of Good."

"I did not free you to question me?" The white haired young king replied him, not wanting those kind of words and the direction of their conversations while Elsa was with them listening attentively.

"Oh, then, I apologize for being rude. You are here to interrogate me instead."

"You were never meant to be there in Yggdrasill, weren't you? You weren't originally the leader of the Nidhogg, serpent-sentinels guarding the Roots. Who put you there?"

"It doesn't matter who put me there, that was the past, but what is important is the present and the words!"

"You are their messenger!" Realizing the World Serpent is the messenger who his grandfather warned him about, Jack's eyes widened.

Upon hearing the Winter King, the swift Serpent paced inhumanly in a few steps, menacing as to psychologically intimidate Jack out of terror. Even if using his human-formed legs his speed was uncannily like a striking snake which is out to grab and swallow whole his targeted prey. However, he could never reach Jack due to the combined powers of the god of winter and his brother, Fenrir. Both higher powered immortals combined against the serpent, had forced Jormungand to hold back.

Jack's blue eyes slightly twitched out of being stoic since he noticed Jormungand's slit- like irises were not focused at him but someone cloaked protectively in his illusions while Fenrir snarled as a warning threat at his uncooperative brother.

"Ah, your beloved Elsa's fear for you is reeking out from your higher winter spell." He spoke again, this time with a brief dark chuckle. "Lord of Niflheim, I am aware about you - your potentials, skills and accomplishments. You want me to play with this little mind game with you, and you were hoping this game of words, by questioning me will twist me into submission in order for you to find out the one who was really pulling the strings. You will be starting it slowly by being full-blown honest until I will falsely believe that you are a naïve fool as you will twist me around until I spoke words to answer your questions as you deduce your own conclusion. On the other hand, I will never abide with this unpredictable childish strategy of yours. Unless, you play in my own game instead." The serpentine gentleman gave a polite gesture, pointing in his forehead but with a contradicting taunting look. "Move a step higher for my challenge…" He snapped his fingers in his right hand and a familiar looking chess piece appeared between his fingers - a white chess piece, the king. "You are no longer a pawn or a knight, you play the way kings are because you are presently the Winter King." And, oddly, the serpent seemed to peer and absorb Jack's mind, particularly his traumatic childhood memories. "But, I know you have long avoided this game of power. Why is that? Too much lies, betrayal, scandals, corruption, suffering, violence, destruction and death in your life. You hated this game piece so much, even you were a little child back then, you were always complaining how incredibly useless this most important piece is. This highest chess piece which will end the entire game when the king gets captured…" Then, he corrected his previous last words, spoke in foreboding words of uncertainty that made someone more emotionally unstable. "Or should I say, when the Winter King finally dies!"

Hearing the interrogated serpentine man's words echoed and gnawed inside her heart and mind, Elsa felt her blue eyes misted and shed out tears of immense fear and sorrow, causing her powers to pierce and destroy powerfully Jack's high winter spell and instantly materialized into wicked-looking icicles sprouting and spiraling around and towards Jormungand who shape-shifted into his slithering real serpent self, gave out an all-out attack. As he began to attack them, he slowly grew more gigantic, almost ready to wreck the entire royal study with his enormous and terrifying size. Jack held out his frosted staff, summoning his royal powers of cold, ice and frosts to contain the world serpent who struggled from being frozen entirely.

"Jack! Whatever we do, do not allow my brother to fully release his own tail from his mouth, otherwise Ragnarök will start!" Fenrir shouted at his friend, knew their combined powers holding his struggling brother will never hold on, especially when the World Serpent is in his real ouroboros form, quickly freeing his tail from his mouth as to coil and position himself in his powerful deadly strike, and unleashing his powers in full force. The human-like wolf had no choice, turned into his real giant warg form as he was ready to pounce, to bite his brother into submission, or even worse, tear apart his brother apart.

Jack faced behind to glance at his queen and wife, asked desperately for her to control her emotions and to help them. Realizing that he cannot use his entire powers through the Royal Staff, because it would devastate their entire home realm, causing many lives to suffer and die.

"Elsa! Please, I need you to stay calm, concentrate and use your powers!" He gave a look that she could do it.

"Jack, I can't lose you! I just can't lose you…" Tears continued streaming down from her eyes, Elsa's lips quivered as she repeated her words while Jack emotionally and sincerely replied her back.

"Elsa, remember what I have promised you – I will always be with you!" Jack gritted his teeth and ignored even if they were not alone, shouted emotionally at her. "And in case they succeeded in separating us, even if I would die, I will always find a way to be with you again, no matter what happens. I promised you, didn't I? And I will never break my promise to you."

"And if you find me…what then, Jack?"

"I will make you fall in love with me again."

Elsa fell into sudden silence upon hearing such words from him, while her heart beat loudly unlike before as if she had heard those words somehow. She felt the familiar overwhelming warm sensation that filled her heart at the same time she recalled words from the golden goddess of love.

_Your power grows greater with love. And nothing is impossible with your power._

The platinum blonde calmed herself down before holding out her hands and conjuring her icy powers that were uniquely combined by her unknown powers, impossibly creating a magical time portal from a materialized flurry of glowing snow coupled from Jack's shattered ice and frost around Jormungand who powerfully broke free from the same ice and frosts confining around him. The freed world serpent ended up being sucked into the vortex of time-space that quickly disappeared.

Fenrir gave a sigh of relief, returning to his smaller wolf form before turning to face Jack who flew hurriedly to catch Elsa who exhaustedly fainted after unleashing a new form of her evolving powers. Viewing the white haired immortal carrying his unconscious wife in his arms and floating slowly outside the window, the wolf-god spoke before he leaped far down below and grew bigger in size again.

"I guess I'll be seeing you any time again." Lifting his head, the beast of unruly defiance spoke at Jack. "Seemed you're planning to have a bit of fresh air too?" He noticed silent Jack somber with melancholy, leaving the coldness of the four walls of his imperial palace. "Ah, my serpentine brother had a knack of toying minds and digging out anyone's troubled past. I think it is high time you tell your queen-wife and prepare both of yourselves against all of them." Then, the gargantuan wolf bolted out as fast as he could, disappearing speedily in the darkness of the lingering winter night.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi my dear readers!

Hope you all liked my new chapters. Yeah, they're all newly written and added for this story. However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news - I'll be in temporary hiatus.

Why, oh, why, will I leave you all in suspense since we're smacked near the middle of this final mini-epic fantasy story? Maybe, I'm still disappointed that only two readers just followed and liked my story. And not even a single reader gave a positive review. Or I'm just a sadistic egotistic weirdo who thinks fanfiction is slowly dying because no one cares for fanfiction anymore because of Hollywood's boring and ugly movies are presently like stolen fanfictions and fanarts?!

Let's us say, my answer is all of the above-mentioned reasons. Plus, these two new chapters are screaming bloody damn spoilers for my other prequel story, "The Snow Drifter King", which centers around Jack and his family and friends.

Apparently, the spoilers are Death and Fenrir, and their side stories are about their respective histories and relationships with Jack when he's still the immortal boy of winter.

If I further write the other chapters, consequently, most of you, the readers, will be confused since I haven't finish the prequel story.

Besides, I would like to observe if this story, "**The Dark Cold Waters of ****Urðr**** (Destiny)**", might spark interest to more new readers. More follows, likes and reviews will help fuel my imagination into greater heights.

So, please crossed your fingers, and pray that my writer's block will never occur again, otherwise, I have to regret to advice you all that it will take a very long time for me to get that flow of creativity and inspiration to push me forward. As the saying goes, "You Can't Rush Art."

Before I leave this site - please, please, don't steal these fanfiction stories. Don't copy without any permission, acknowledging or referencing the fanfic author. Otherwise, as a fanfiction author, I'll be force to hire Loki as my legal counsel against you, which is worse than an ordinary lawyer. He might be sending mischievous tricks (even Karma) to deal with those who have stolen ideas from other fanfiction writers, may it be for reasons of arrogance, money, or just plain lack of creativity.

Newest A/N: May 4, 2020:

After five months of observing if any new readers will follow or like this new story which I've written last year, and seeing how poorly received it is, it is best that I will no longer continue this fanfiction story along with the other two stories interconnected with this one. Finally, I've decided to permanently close this forever. Besides, I am not inspired and will not be inspired to write and continue this kind of cross over story anymore. (TBH, I don't like Frozen 2, and IMAO, I terribly hated this confusing movie because of its inconsistencies with the first movie, and for the movie writer's decision to change Elsa and Anna into their worst personalities and then, separating their destinies as sisters who were slowly rebuilding their close sibling relationship. And I really like Elsa to retain being a queen, that is the reason she is based from the Snow Queen. Plus, she is no fifth element/ spirit. She falls under the water element as ice and snow! She should have ended with Jack Frost instead as his queen in his cold and icy kingdom! Dumb stupid Disney writers! Grrr!)

Thanks for a million for the only one reviewer who read and followed my story. And for the rest, sorry, but this is now my goodbye in writing here. No worries, will never pull out and erase these stories, which is free for anyone's enjoyment. But I am still and will always be against those stealing ideas from these fanfictions.

This is triquetratraveler finally saying my last goodbye.


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